


A Problem of Paradoxical Proportions

by stagemanager, tharkflark1



Series: Paradox AU [1]
Category: Sonic the Hedgehog (Video Games)
Genre: Action, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Awkwardness, Brotherly Bonding, Drama, Family, Fluff, Fusion, Gen, Humor, Panic Attacks, Paradox AU, Post-Sonic Forces, Suspense, pedophiles/incest don't interact
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 09:00:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 60,714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24847189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stagemanager/pseuds/stagemanager, https://archiveofourown.org/users/tharkflark1/pseuds/tharkflark1
Summary: It should have been a routine mission. Run in, trash some robots, throw some banter, and foil whatever evil plot Eggman was hatching. And with Shadow and Silver helping him out, Sonic knew that this was gonna definitely be a piece of cake.Yeah, NO.
Series: Paradox AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1799200
Comments: 226
Kudos: 505





	1. Collision

A gust of wind rushes across lush grass, whipping strands of green into the air. Somewhere in the distance, a boom echoes through the air, faint laughter interspersed with the deafening noise.

Sonic the Hedgehog was having a good day.

It had only been about three weeks since the blue hedgehog and his friends had defeated Eggman after six months of conflict. Six months of war: of fighting and hiding and spying. Six months just trying to survive.

Six months in prison.

So as soon as the war was over and the long road to rebuilding began, Sonic found a familiar feeling fluttering inside his chest. A jittering sensation that began as a whisper—like a stray strand of hair brushing against your skin—that crescendoed into an itch that he couldn’t ignore. A call. And so, with several polite farewells and a promise to check in every so often, Sonic sped out of the city in search of new adventure. The feeling of the air rushing through his quills, the world blurring into streaks of color, drowns out the memories of too-small rooms and silence.

It doesn’t take long for the Fastest Thing Alive to find another escapade to throw himself into. Several residents of a small, rural town have recently reported hearing strange sounds in the middle of the night. Heavy thumps and light whirs. Banging noises.

Sonic simply smirks. _Already down to get clobbered again, Eggy? Well, I’ll be more than happy to oblige._

 _“Sonic!”_ Someone exclaims, shaking the hedgehog from his thoughts. Green eyes glance down to where a small communicator is tucked under a glove cuff. Sonic taps on the device.

“What’s up, Tails?”

_“The rest of us are already inside! Where are—”_

Before the fox can finish his question, his older brother zooms forward in a burst of blue light. The loud groan of crumpling metal reverberates off the walls as he enters the base.

 _“...You just boosted through the wall, didn’t you?”_ Tails asks, tone as dry as a desert.

“Yup.”

A deep sigh comes through the line, causing Sonic’s grin to widen. _“Well, there goes any chance we had at catching him off-guard,”_ his younger brother mutters. _“Now he DEFINITELY knows we’re here.”_

“Where’s the fun in sneaking around?” The hedgehog replies, hearing his brother huff before relaying a quick “Be careful” and hanging up. Sonic glances up, scanning the ceiling. Hmm, the cables seem to be running all in this direction, that must be where Eggman’s control room is. Eyes still focused upward, he turns down a corridor. And promptly slams head-on into something.

Groaning, the hedgehog sits up, rubbing his head. The world stumbles into a semblance of clarity as he registers what, or rather _who_ , he has just collided with.

“I see that you’re just as thick-headed as ever,” Shadow grumbles, rising back up on unsteady feet. Shaking his head, he throws a withering glare at his doppelgänger, who immediately breaks out into a sheepish smile.

“Ah… Sorry about that, Shadow.” Sonic apologies, ears still ringing. If the two of them already weren’t used to bashing heads, they would have ended up with broken skulls, considering how fast they were going. The blue hedgehog pushes himself up, finally standing. “I didn’t know you were helping us storm the base. The rest of the gang here?”

Shadow folds his arms into their usual position. “I came alone. The doctor has been planning something.”

“No kidding.” 

Red eyes narrow. “He’s collected all seven Chaos Emeralds.”

 _That_ catches Sonic’s attention. “Wait, really? How? _When?”_

“That doesn’t matter.”

Sonic’s expression turns serious. “It _does_ matter!” Chaos, Eggman’s been collecting the emeralds this whole time while he’s been messing around? _I could have—_

A sudden crash derails the speedster’s train of thought. Two heads immediately turn in the direction of the noise. Without a word, Sonic and Shadow shoot down the corridor. They don’t get very far when their fur spikes up and they narrowly avoid a large robot hurtling towards them. The machine lands on the floor with a loud clunk, chassis glowing cyan and limbs twisted in ways that they clearly were not intended to. At once, red and green eyes whip up.

“Sonic? Shadow?” A young voice starts before stopping in front of the other hedgehogs. 

The Blue Blur doesn’t miss a beat in greeting his friend. “Hiya, Silver. Where are the others?”

“We split up. This base is a lot bigger than we expected.” Silver pauses, gesturing to the unmoving pile of metal laying next to them. “I guess the robots I keep running into means that I’m going the right way. But I haven’t seen a door or anything.”

Shadow finally breaks his silence. “Where did you encounter the highest number of enemies? Or the most heavily armed ones?” He inquires, gears already turning. Silver tilts his head.

“Um, not too far from here.”

“Take us there.”

Silver blinks, clearly surprised by the directness of Shadow’s tone. “Um, okay,” he eventually answers, body lighting up with a cyan aura. He hovers upward before turning his back to the others. “Follow me.”

Streaks of cyan, red, and blue fill the dimly-lit corridor as the two speedsters follow the flying time traveler. A couple seconds later, their guide stops, prompting Sonic and Shadow to hit the brakes.

“This is it,” Silver announces, lowering to the ground again. The remains of several large, heavily armored droids surround the three. 

Sonic whistles, gazing at the wreckage. _“Wow,_ Silver. You’ve certainly had a fun day.” The light-colored hedgehog frowns, appearing mildly confused and annoyed. As Silver goes to detail the precise reasons why he has _not_ been having a fun day, Shadow steps towards the wall. He closes his eyes as his hand comes in contact with the cold, metal surface. It takes a moment but eventually he finds the familiar hum that he knows to be the Chaos Emeralds. Seven distinct notes, all harmonizing in a unified song. Close by. 

Shadow opens his eyes and steps back. Gold energy crackles in his palms as he launches several Chaos Spears at the wall. The dust clears to reveal a gaping hole and two shocked faces.

 _“Could you give us a heads-up BEFORE you do that?”_ Sonic shouts, quills still bristled. Next to him, Silver appears to be somewhere between impressed and afraid. Maybe more the former. For the briefest of moments, a tiny smirk appears on Shadow's face before he returns his attention to the opening in the wall. He peeks through the charred metal to find a deep chasm, square with smooth walls. 

“An elevator shaft?” Silver suggests, suddenly much closer to the alien hybrid. Shadow manages to not react visibly as he wonders _when did you get over here?_ Sonic joins the other two, peering into the hole as well. 

“Looks like a pretty steep drop,” he comments casually before glancing at the others with a mischievous grin. Before the other two can even react, Sonic hops into the chasm, letting out a whoop of excitement as he falls. “Last one at the bottom is a rotten egg!”

For a moment, Silver and Shadow simply stare into the empty air where Sonic was. 

“Did he just…?”

“Yes. _Idiot.”_ The older of the two mutters before jumping down. Silver shakes his head before alighting and following after the others. 

Unsurprising to all three hedgehogs, the elevator shaft is full of traps as well. Various laser arrays decorate the chasm, ready to bisect anything that touches them. The trio are forced to weave between the lines of light, unless they desire to lose a limb. Even with the clear risk of mortal peril, Sonic attempts to goad Shadow into a friendly competition of sorts, the two speedsters racing to see who will reach the bottom first. So caught up are the two in their competition that they forget one glaring detail.

 _“Ha!_ Beat you, F—Oh _come on, Silver!”_

The youngest of the three smiles, still floating in the air. “You didn’t say anything about powers.”

“Yeah, well—”

“If you’re going to keep arguing, then you can just stay here,” Shadow glares scornfully, effectively ending the argument. Sonic huffs but doesn’t say another word. He clicks on his wrist communicator, intending to notify the rest of the team of their discovery. However, the only sound he hears from the device is static. The blue hedgehog frowns.

“Something must be blocking the signal. I guess it’s just gonna be three of us against the Eggster. Which means that this should be over in maybe two minutes. Three minutes, if he’s really creative today.”

“Hmph.”

“Yeah, yeah, we’re coming, we’re coming.”

In a literal flash of acceleration, Sonic surges forward, Shadow and Silver easily keeping up. As they travel through his lower level of the base, they are besieged by legions of badniks, working to protect their creator and leader. Each one falls like a flimsy paper doll, useless against the three hedgehogs. Eventually, the three reach the center of the chamber. Or at least, what they _perceive_ to be the center. 

Silver descends to the ground, yellow pupils surveying his surroundings. “I don’t understand. There’s _nothing_ here.” 

“There’s gotta be something,” Sonic responds, doing his own search as well. “Eggman wouldn’t just hide this giant room filled with robots until there was _something_ inside it.” He glances over to his doppelgänger. “Shads, you sensing anything?”

The Ultimate Life Form narrows his gaze briefly at the nickname before listening for the hum of chaos. It’s even louder now. But something seems _off._ Like a broken key on an otherwise perfect piano. Where are—

Suddenly, the ground shimmers, lighting up in a bright cyan. In one fluid motion, Shadow slides one foot back and pulls his hands into fists, lowering slightly. Next to him, the other two assume their own battle stances. A low rumble echoes through the room as part of the floor begins to split, forming perfectly round holes in the ground. Smoke rises from the opening, the sound of pistons increasing in volume. Three sets of eyes narrow as a familiar, round hovercraft rises up, flanked by even more badniks.

So caught up in staring at their enemy, the three hedgehogs don’t pay attention to the floor below them. Before any of them can react, the ground flashes an electric blue and the trio abruptly find themselves unable to move, suspended within an energy field. As they struggle to free themselves from the trap, the sound of laughter causes their ears to swivel forward. Shadow bares his teeth as Sonic and Silver narrow their eyes. 

_“Eggman!”_

At the sound of his name, the evil genius lets out a cackle of twisted glee. 

_“Ohohohoho!_ I didn’t expect you to bring your fellow rodents along for the ride, Sonic! Ah, no matter. It will be more efficient for me to _crush_ all of you at once.”

“Don’t get _too_ ahead of yourself,” Sonic bites back, wearing his trademark grin. “Or are you still a couple screws loose from our last battle? I mean, you didn’t do so well against a triple team last time, and that was _with_ all your fancy toys. What makes you think this is gonna go any different?”

Rather than roaring in anger as he usually would, Eggman remains uncharacteristically silent. His mouth curls up into a wicked smirk. 

“Confident as usual, I see,” the doctor sneers. “How unfortunate.” He slams a button down on his console: a large circular one, surrounded by seven glowing lights. _The_ button.

In an instant, the ground burns a scarlet red as something else emerges from below. A long mechanical tail swings like a pendulum as two glowing wings unfurl. Eggman’s hovercraft slots into the battle armor while a giant drill rotates loudly.

Sonic snorts. _“Really?_ This guy, _again?_ What is this, the _third_ time already?” Yet again, his archenemy remains silent. Unsure of what to say, Sonic bites his lip and glances over to his side. “Silver, it’d be really _great_ if you decided to use those powers of yours…”

“What do you think I’m _trying_ to do? It’s a lot _harder_ when I can’t move my hands!”

While Sonic and Silver continue to try and free themselves, Shadow vanishes in a flash of blue. He re-materializes a second later outside of the field before throwing two Chaos Spears. The ground cracks, freeing the other two hedgehogs. 

_“Finally,”_ Sonic breathes, stretching casually. Green eyes turn to meet red and yellow. “Wanna team up for this one? Sooner we trash this guy, the sooner we can blow this popsicle stand. Shadow? Silver?”

“Okay!”

“After you.”

At the two responses, the Blue Blur crouches down, letting his hands touch the floor. He grins eagerly.

Three sets of eyes lock with metal and tinted glasses. A million servos whirl as machine guns and cannons take aim. For a single second, nobody moves or speaks. And then the room explodes into pandemonium.

_“FIRE!”_

In less than a millisecond, Sonic, Shadow, and Silver lunge forward, leaping into the air. As soon as their feet leave the ground, spires of ice erupt from beneath them, jagged tips narrowly missing the hedgehogs. Sonic and Shadow land back down with a light thump, the two speedsters preserving their momentum as they zoom across the floor. Missiles and bullets fly through the air as the duo dodge and weave through the crowd, leaving broken metal in their wake. Sonic tucks into a spiked ball of destruction, slicing through each droid like a hot knife through butter. Meanwhile, his dark-colored lookalike elects the more direct route, cloaking himself with energy and decimating an entire row of machines in a red arrow. Above them, Silver catches a missile aimed at him and throws it back at its source. Within seconds, another explosion rocks the room, temperature ticking higher.

Sidestepping out of the way of a barrage of gunfire, Sonic slips between the legs of an Egg Fighter. With his right hand, he grabs the badnik’s arm and guides the robot into a dizzying spin. The crash of metal on the floor causes a slight smile of amusement on the hedgehog’s face. He doesn’t stop to relish his victory as more enemies march towards him, guns blazing. Sonic dashes towards the nearest target, about to launch another attack when a glowing knife abruptly bisects the robot. Green eyes widen as the blue speedster narrowly avoids getting baked in the resulting explosion, nearly tripping as he slams to an ungraceful stop.

 _“Silver! Watch it!”_ He coughs, smoke getting into his lungs.

 _“Sorry!”_ The time traveler apologies, palms still illuminated with cyan energy. Sonic is in the midst of opening his mouth to respond when his quills twitch and he instinctively ducks down, gold spears sailing a little too close for comfort.

_“Shadow, are you trying to kill me!?”_

“If I was aiming for you, you’d already be dead, Faker. Stop standing there.”

Biting his tongue, Sonic starts running again. Enough of these little guys, let’s take out the boss. Putting on a boost of speed, Sonic races towards the Egg Dragoon. He reaches into the well of chaos energy in his body and draws it out into a blue aura that envelops him. The air around Sonic distorts as an audible _boom_ is heard, the sound barrier shattering as the Fastest Thing Alive lives up to his epithet. As the hedgehog barrels towards him, Eggman smiles inwardly. Something shimmers around the robot, like a soap bubble in the light. 

Every action has its equal, opposite reaction.

Sonic is only steps away from dealing a major blow when he suddenly collides with an invisible wall. The hedgehog is sent flying back, landing with a painful crack on the metal floor. Silver rushes over to him, shouting something out as he keeps enemies from killing the downed hero.

_“—ic!”_

The Blue Blur rubs his head, trying to silence the ringing and pounding in his ears. _“...Huh?”_ he slurs, vision still hazy. _“Whozat? Silvah?”_ Sonic moves to sit up, body immediately protesting the action. _“Ooh,_ I’m gonna feel _that_ tomorrow.”

 _“Are you,_ ” Silver pauses for a brief moment to fling a badnik into the air, _“Okay?!”_

“Yeah, yeah, I’m good. Just _—ow—_ gimme a sec.” Much to his friend’s surprise, Sonic manages to get to his feet. He teeters back and forth slightly, legs wobbling.

“Sonic, _stop!”_

 _“Relax!_ I just hit my head!”

“You slammed into a _wall_ at the _speed of sound!”_

“Yeah, it’s kinda my thing. Don’t—” A groan escapes from Sonic’s lips before he can stop it. He grimaces, stumbling forward a bit. Silver immediately hurries over to help. As the time traveler attempts to steady his friend, an evil laugh is heard above the discord of clanging metal and explosions.

“I see you’ve become closely acquainted with my illuma-shield,” Eggman states, twirling his mustache. “I think you’ll find that it’s _more_ than a match for you and your friends.”

“That’s what _you_ think!” Sonic retorts. His nemesis smirks, all sharp teeth.

“Why don’t you hit it again and see what happens?”

At the doctor’s taunt, the planet savior narrows his eyes and stands straight up. He starts towards the Egg Dragoon before a hand suddenly grabs his shoulder.

“For the _last time,_ Silver, I’m _fine.”_ Sonic declares, the tiniest bit of annoyance in his tone. Why is he so concerned, it’s _fine,_ he crashes into things all the time.

“No, you’re _not._ You’re _—Whoa!_ ” 

A gasp escapes from Silver’s mouth as he is abruptly pushed to the side, a volley of bullets flying through the empty space where his chest just was. Not missing a beat, Sonic rushes forward and rapidly dispatches the attacking badniks. Their lifeless shells clatter to the floor as the Blue Blur comes to a halt, looking at Silver with a smug expression.

“You were saying?”

The time traveler simply sighs. Suddenly, an explosion sounds behind him, and he whips around, ears hiking up. From the smoke, the Ultimate Life Form emerges, wearing an indifference expression.

 _“I_ can handle this. Once the shield is down, attack the core in the middle, where the green light is. The emeralds are inside.” Without even looking, Shadow fires off another spear that destroys a robot lurching towards him. 

Silver blinks. “How did you…?”

Sonic shakes his head, chuckling quietly. _Always the dramatic one, huh?_ “Well, alright then, Shadow,” the planet savior begins. “Don’t keep us waiting.”

“Same to you,” Shadow replies, brushing by his lookalike before taking off. Sonic sputters once before refocusing. He yanks on Silver’s arm, the psychic-powered hedgehog still observing Shadow with awe. 

“Silver! _Focus!”_

“Sorry, sorry!”

A green-eyed glare swiftly sobers the younger teen up. The two teenagers turn to face the Egg Dragoon. Blacked metal litters the battlefield, the wreckage of hundreds of robots between them and their foe. 

In the blink of an eye, Sonic and Silver shoot towards the target, trailing after a streak of red. The few badniks remaining are swiftly dealt with. Green and yellow eyes fixate on Shadow, watching as the aura surrounding the hedgehog’s body grows brighter and brighter. Until eventually, the aura erupts outward in a devastating attack.

“CHAOS... _BLAST!”_

Red light explodes across the room, sending shockwaves through the air. Sonic and Silver brace themselves as best as they can while still trying to keep their eyes on their objective. The shield becomes fully visible as ripples appear in its surface, bending under the sheer force of the blast. And then, at long last, it finally breaks.

“Now!” Sonic screams, startling Silver into action. The younger hero hesitates for a millisecond before following Sonic. Ears still ringing, the two race forward and leap into the opening. Sonic curls up as Silver conjures more psychic knives to strike. Metal screeches as the duo strike the core, chipping closer and closer to the emeralds. Alerts ring within the cockpit, and Eggman snarls in anger. Mashing several buttons, the villain dismisses the warnings and pushes the Egg Dragoon to fly backward and fire at the two hedgehogs. Sonic and Silver are forced back as a giant slab of ice comes rushing towards them, the two narrowly evading the attack. Focused on dodging, they don’t notice the robot priming another weapon. With his much faster reflexes, Sonic manages to see the attack, the speedster needing only a millisecond to get away. But Silver does not have that luxury. Realizing this fact, Sonic quickly grabs the younger hedgehog, dragging him out of harm’s way. However, the two seconds that the blue hedgehog spends saving his friend gives the bullets enough time to reach them. The Blue Blur lets out a grunt as one of the bullets nicks his ear, a stinging pain flooding the area as a few drops of blood leak from the wound. 

_“Sonic!”_

_“It’s fine! We gotta get the—”_

The blue hedgehog doesn’t get a chance to respond as the Egg Dragoon continues its assault. This time, it utilizes its giant drill, electrifying the weapon before swinging it in a fatal trajectory towards Sonic and Silver. The two hardly have time to react, but thankfully someone else does for them. 

With a yelp, Sonic and Silver fall down hard on the floor, safe but still shaken. Next to them, Shadow gasps, trying to catch his breath. The three are currently hidden behind the remains of a particularly large badnik, out of sight for maybe a minute at most. 

Sonic pushes himself up, limbs aching all over again. “Well, _that_ could have gone better,” he states, tone dry enough to kindle fire with. “Thanks for save, Shadow.” 

“Hmph.”

Silver sits up as well, concern coloring his countenance. “What are we going to do now?”

Peeking around the wreckage, Sonic sees the Egg Dragoon still hovering in the same location, its core a dull black instead of green. The shield surrounding the robot almost seems to be crackling, like sparks of electricity. _Something’s wrong._

_“N-No! The controls won’t respond!”_

Much to the hedgehogs’ shock, Eggman’s hovercraft abruptly ejects from the armor. His panic is audible as he flies into the elevator shaft and up to the surface. 

_“He’s getting away!”_ Silver screams, scrambling to his feet. And for the second time in less than ten minutes, one of his statements is punctuated by the sound of an explosion. Immediately, three heads swivel towards the noise. 

An orb of dark purple light hovers above the wreckage of Egg Dragoon, bolts of lightning randomly flaring out from the sphere. Any object that comes in contact with the electricity erupts into flame, vermillion joining the chaotic canvas. Gusts of wind shoot out from the orb, blowing back quills and fur.

 _“What’s happening?”_ Silver exclaims, ears slicked back. _“What is THAT?!”_

Sonic stares at the orb, heart rate increasing as he realizes that it’s growing larger. Wilder. And then he notices seven, _not_ dark purple objects, hidden within the sphere of lightning. Green eyes widen.

 _“The Chaos Emeralds! They’re inside! But what’s…”_ Sonic trails off, out of his depth here. He tears his focus away for a moment. _“Shadow! You got any ideas here?”_

Shadow doesn’t look at his doppelgänger, completely focused on the orb. As the wind and lightning pick up—the orb swelling bigger and bigger—the alien hybrid finally turns to Sonic and Silver. His expression is grave.

“The emeralds are leaking energy. Eventually, all of it will be expelled in an explosion of pure chaos.”

 _“An explosion?!”_ Sonic repeats, paling. Next to him, Silver’s pupils have shrunk down to pinpoints.

“Yes. And the resulting blast could take out an entire continent.”

 _“WHAT?!”_ If Silver wasn’t already worried before, he was in full-blown panic mode now. _“Wh-What? That’s… But… Our FRIENDS are still somewhere in the base! There are TOWNS nearby!”_

At the time traveler’s words, Sonic and Shadow’s pupils shrink as well. The oldest of the three recovers first, expression quickly switching back into seriousness. 

“I can use Chaos Control to send the blast into space. Far away from anyone.” Shadow pauses, his left hand clasping over his right wrist. Where a gold ring sits.

Sonic’s breath hitches. 

_“No,”_ he instantly dismisses, shaking his head rapidly. He seizes Shadow’s arm, drawing a growl from his rival. _“_ We’ll think of another way.”

“Let _go_ of me, Faker.”

 _“No._ You are _not_ doing this again!”

“I’m _ordering_ you to _stand down.”_

“And I’m _telling_ you that _we’ll think of something else!_ You _don’t_ have to keep _throwing your life away like this!”_

“I’m the _only one_ with the power to do this!”

“No, you’re _not!_ I can do Chaos Control too! I’ve been using the emeralds since I was a kid!”

“I was created to use them to their maximum potential!”

“There you go with that ‘Ultimate Life Form’ stuff all over again! _Having power_ and _knowing HOW to use it_ are _two different things, Shadow!_ You should know that _better_ than anyone!”

“Guys, I don’t mean to interrupt, but _there’s still an explosion that’s about to happen!”_

Like flipping a switch, the two rivals immediately cease their bickering and follow to where Silver’s hand is pointing. The orb has tripled in size, electricity flaring out in even more turbulent bolts. The three hedgehogs shiver slighter, one part fear and the other part chaos sensitivity.

 _“Damn,”_ Shadow scowls. “We’re out of time.” He goes to remove his inhibitor rings but Sonic’s grip remains strong. The Ultimate Life Form is about to punch his lookalike in the chest when Silver interjects again.

“What if you _both_ used Chaos Control together? I’ll use my powers to shield you while you get into position!”

_“But…”_

_“We don’t have time for this, Shadow!_ C’mon, it’ll be like old times! Race ya!”

Without giving his doppelgänger a chance to respond, Sonic runs towards the expanding orb of chaos. Shadow lets out an irritated grunt, his teeth bared, before skating after him. Silver hovers not too far behind. 

_“Sonic! Shadow!”_ The time traveler screams, trying to be heard above the discord. Flying ahead of the other two, he throws his hands up. A hexagonal barrier of cyan energy shimmers into existence, shielding the three hedgehogs from the bolts of electricity. _“Any time now, guys!”_

Red and green eyes lock, cynicism meeting optimism.

_“You ready?”_

_“You bet! Here we go!”_

As Silver visibly strains to maintain the shield against the onslaught of chaos energy, Sonic and Shadow draw a quick breath into their lungs. Closing their eyes, they reach out towards the orb, trying to find the emeralds within. The raw, corrupted chaos burns at their touch, tendrils searing into their souls and slicing into their already tired bodies. Even with their inherent talent and experience, they are still trying to contain an explosion with their minds and making this up as they go. But something, some commanding vow or undeterred hope, tells the three to push through and protect them. They are out of time.

Still protected by Silver’s shield, Sonic and Shadow open their eyes. Yellow, green, and red stare into pure destruction as a single command is issued. And chaos surges forward to answer their call.

**_“CHAOS CONTROL!”_ **

* * *

Darkness. A pitch black abyss that surrounds them on all sides. The universe is silent, not a single sound to be heard. Quiet. 

_...?_

Something shifts in the distance. Is it a sound? A movement? The noise repeats, and something— _someone_ —strains with motion. Someone is reaching—pushing and pulling—but chains seem to drag them down. Who’s there? I can’t see.

_—lo?_

Again, they— _he,_ that seems right—attempts to reach out. A sliver of light flickers into existence as he staggers back into awareness. Awake. When did he fall asleep?

Pushing the weight of unconsciousness away, he manages to open his eyes. The light makes him grimace but he forges on, not wanting to go back to the darkness. Cold like falling and being trapped. Gradually, the world comes into focus, his other senses steadily waking up as well.

Surrounding him on all sides are flowers. A whole field of blossoms, yellow and white daffodils, that bloom from emerald stems. The gentle breeze carries their light, cool perfume through the air, the scent of spring and new beginnings. Above him, the sky stretches wide and bright—a soft, calming blue. A few clouds, soft and white, contrast against the blue backdrop.

His lips curl up in a smile. It’s nice. This is nice. Peaceful.

As daffodils continue to dance around him, another sound—something new—reaches his ears. A soft, rippling noise, like little bubbles. Water.

Slowly, he sits up. The movement lags, as if there’s still a chain dragging him down. Wrong. But his hazy mind dismisses the thought as he gets a better view of the meadow, his smile widening. It’s so _pretty._ The sound of water comes more clearly now, and his eyes land on a small pond, sunlight sparkling off its crystalline surface. Pretty. He wants to go over there. 

Trying to stand is a clumsy, messy ordeal. His legs keep bending and trembling under him and he isn’t able to stay upright for more than a few seconds. _Wrong,_ his mind says. This is _wrong._ Why is this _wrong?_ Growing increasingly frustrated with his repeated failures to stand, he decides to crawl over to the pond. His _assignment. Mission._ Something to _do._ That makes him feel better. It takes longer than he expects— _faster,_ I should be _faster_ —but he finally makes it over to the water’s edge. He peers down into the pond, his reflection looking back at him in the clear surface. And the feeling of _wrongness_ returns.

Blue quills. Long and windswept, like he’s been outside for a long time. Right. That’s right. But the style is different, two long spines hanging down and framing his face. There are little white and red stripes on his quills, accenting the tops of each large cluster. _Stripes._ One of his friends has stripes. Red ones. But wait, doesn’t he have stripes too? And they’re _red_ too. N-No, his quills are plain. Long, light gray-colored… 

He shuts his eyes, a headache starting to form. _What… Why… Why_ is this so _hard?_ He _knows_ what he looks like! Shaking his head, he opens his eyes again and gazes back down into the water. This time, his focus lands on the reflection of his eyes.

His eyes have changed color before he knows, recalling gold quills. But never like this. Instead of his irises being a single hue, there are _three_. Yellow, green, and red. Three colors. The pain in his head flares up again. 

The colors, he _knows_ them. One of them is _his_ eye color. And the other two are… 

In an instant, the fog lifts from his brain. And tricolor eyes immediately widen.

For one, endless moment, the only sound in the meadow is the quiet rustle of the flowers. And then, at volume that could wake the dead, three voices scream at the top of their lungs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looks it isn't just Sonic who has a birthday today!
> 
> After what seems like an eternity, Thark and I are excited to introduce all of you to our favorite, little fusion. This whole story is the result of a single sketch, late-night ramblings, crazy headcanons, plenty of doodles, game cutscenes, and the boundless creativity of the Pocket Hog discord. For those visiting from the server, this story owes much of its existence to you space hogs. You guys are way past cool! 
> 
> Am I... Oh right! A very special thank you to SmallPwbbles for gifting us with your wonderful art and for basically being the last member of the Paradox brain cells with Thark and I. Show her tumblr some love here: https://smallpwbbles.tumblr.com/
> 
> The energy fields that Sonic, Shadow, and Silver get trapped in are the same ones from Part 5 of Sonic Mania Adventures.
> 
> Leave any comments, questions, concerns, or aspirations below! See you next chapter!


	2. Alone Together, Unnaturally

Shadow the Hedgehog prided himself on being unflappable. He was the pinnacle of professionalism, every action done with a particular intention and goal in mind. No bothering with useless trivialities. Driven. Efficient. Calm. Fitting characteristics for the Ultimate Life Form and GUN’s top agent. Always collected and in control.

This was a rare exception.

“This is all _your_ fault, Faker!”

 _“My fault?_ How is this MY fault?”

“You obviously _botched_ the Chaos Control!”

“I did the _exact same thing that you did!_ And this could be YOUR fault too, Mister ‘Ultimate Life Form’!”

“Sonic? Shadow?”

“I executed Chaos Control perfectly. You evidently, did _not.”_

_“Are you serious?!”_

“Guys…?”

“This is clearly YOUR doing. And you _better_ have a solution to _this.”_

_“I don’t even know what THIS is! How am I—”_

_“SHUT UP!”_

Both hedgehogs fall silent at the younger’s outburst. Silver flinches back at their combined glares before mustering up his courage again.

“Whatever THIS is, whatever is going on, we need to work together to figure it out. Quite literally. So, _please,_ can we stop fighting?”

At Silver’s words, Sonic and Shadow quickly glance at each other. There’s a moment of silence as the two speedsters contemplate their situation, pushing down rivalries and anger, before their eyes connect again. Sonic holds his right hand out towards Shadow, a fragile olive branch to his lookalike.

“Truce?” Sonic asks, a friendly grin on his face. Narrowed red orbs stare at the offered hand before softening slightly.

“Fine.” Shadow responds, seizing Sonic’s hand. He shakes once before releasing his tight grip. Sonic exhales audibly, one hand cradling the other.

“Geez, _somebody’s_ got a strong grip.” His doppelgänger simply folds his arms. Rolling his eyes, Sonic returns his gaze to Silver. “So, what now?” he asks, seriousness in his tone. 

Shadow raises his head. “Now…” he steps forward, crossing his arms. His eyes survey their location, two other sets of eyes doing the same. “We figure out where the hell we are.”

Stretching before Sonic, Shadow, and Silver is a giant, gray oval. In front of the shape is a small, white pedestal of sorts, with a rounded top. These two objects are the only things visible in an otherwise black void. Even the Ultimate Life Form, with his enhanced vision, is unable to distinguish anything within the darkness. No beginning. No end. No _nothing._

An ear tilts slightly as Shadow turns his attention to another mystery. All three of them are glowing, their bodies like living light bulbs. Sonic and Silver shine cobalt and gold respectively, while Shadow radiates scarlet. Even their gloves and shoes are gleaming as well. The dark-colored—er, _red_ -colored—hedgehog frowns as he studies his hands and arms. Shimmering yellow lines run along his forearms, snaking around his wrists. Looking at the others, he notices that similar aquamarine lines are present on Silver’s arms and chest. 

“What’s this?” Sonic comments, wandering up to the pedestal. At once, the others reach towards him, their eyes wide.

 _“Don’t touch it!”_

The button depresses with a quiet click. And immediately, everything starts shaking.

_“Oops.”_

_“Damn it, Sonic!”_

With a snarl, Shadow yanks his rival from the pedestal, teeth bared. The tremors build as the white oval flickers above. And then, something in the air shifts. A vibrant blue glow from the pedestal is the only warning that the three hedgehogs get before the world erupts into blinding light. The trio reflexively shields their faces, wincing. A gust of wind washes over them, carrying with it a strange, powerful energy. It travels through them, like a feather tickling your nose, a foreign but not unpleasant sensation dancing on their skin. And then as suddenly as it began, it stops.

Slowly, three pairs of eyes hazard to open. Almost instantly, they gasp. 

Instead of a void of darkness, there is an expanse of golden sky. Red, white, and blue clouds stretch as far as the eye can see, with even the ground seemingly composed of blue and white cotton candy. Light peeks from between the clouds, cascading down in beams and illuminating the area. 

“What? How did we…” Silver trails off, his attention locking on something in front of him. Dark gray has switched to a cool white, the oval now illuminated. The three hedgehogs stare at the oval as another new oddity materializes. 

They hear a sound. It’s distorted and unclear, like their ears are stuffed with cotton, but it sounds familiar. Calming. A strange sense of comprehension comes upon at three of them as they somehow understand that the noise is coming from the oval. Like putting on glasses, blurry shapes slowly sharpen into detail. 

The meadow shifts back into focus, rippling water playing a quiet accompaniment. 

Sonic’s mouth curls up into a grin. “A portal!” he shouts excitedly, surprising the other two. “C’mon, guys!” With his usual impulsiveness, the Fastest Thing Alive rushes towards the image, eager to escape from whatever this is. He crashes against the oval, stumbling back unceremoniously. The teenager reorients himself, shaking his head. He steps towards the oval again, this time at a much slower pace. The blue hedgehog stretches a hand out, and blinks when his fingers collide with an invisible wall. 

The oval isn’t a portal. It’s a screen. A _window._

Sonic draws his hand back, studying his fingers for a moment before switching back to the window. While the meadow is bright and clear, everything still feels a little fuzzy on the other side of the glass. Even though the flowers and grass are presented before him in high resolution, the speedster feels distant and far away. It feels like a dream, and yet he feels more awake and alive than he has in a while.

 _“Are…_ Are we _dead?”_ Sonic inquires softly, a rare meditative tone to his voice. The two others come towards him silently, no footsteps to be heard. Like ghosts.

 _“No,”_ Shadow responds, firmly banishing the assumption. He gazes over their surroundings again. The small pedestal still sits nearby, no longer blue. 

_Blue…_

It’s a ridiculous and largely unfounded idea, but Shadow nevertheless walks towards the pedestal. He presses the button down, ignoring Sonic and Silver’s protests. Instantly, the pedestal shines a bright scarlet. 

_Move,_ Shadow commands, focus fixed on the screen. He shoves down the doubt that highlights the absurdity of this all. The alien hybrid can’t stop the surprise that shows on his face when the picture on the screen changes. The camera pans down from emerald grass to crystal clear water. The _pond._ Eyes glance down into the glassy surface.

They remember screaming. Blue quills and stripes and everything being _wrong._ The haziness. 

But seeing it all _again,_ fully conscious this time, is just as jarring.

In his shock, Shadow steps back, still keeping his left hand on the button. The strange hedgehog in the picture does the same. _Reacts_ the same. Except he’s sitting as opposed to standing and there’s things behind him. With a surprised gasp, the stranger falls backward. At exactly the same time the hedgehog lands on the ground, Sonic, Shadow, and Silver fall down as well. As if all three of them were standing on the same rug and it was yanked out from under them.

Silver is the first of the three to recover. “What was _that?”_ he asks, glancing at the others and then the screen. The time traveler blinks. “Wait… Did we all fall at the _same time?_ Including…” he pauses, pointing at the window, _“Him?”_

“It would appear that way,” Shadow replies, standing up. The screen has stopped moving, and pedestal has returned to its original white again.

A thought in the back of Silver’s head speaks a little louder, craving to be heard.

Blue quills. Like _Sonic._ Red stripes. Like _Shadow._ And two long quills at the bottom of his head. Like _me._ And now, all _four_ of them falling at the same time. Together. In _unison._

The youngest of the three pales. 

“Are we…” he begins, tiny yellow dots staring at Sonic and Shadow. “Are we _fused?”_

There’s a moment of pure silence as Silver’s hypothesis sits in the air. Multicolored clouds lazily float by as water ripples close by. And then at speed befitting his moniker, Sonic bolts upright. 

“No. _No.”_ The speedster dismisses. “This is just, like, some weird place we’ve been trapped in.”

“But how do you explain _this?”_ Silver answers loudly, gesturing outward with both arms. _“_ He looks like _all three of us!”_

“That doesn’t mean _anything._ We _just_ fought like an entire army of Shadow clones. What if this is some weird leftover Phantom Ruby stuff?”

“This is different! And the ruby was destroyed!” 

“Silver has a point,” Shadow jumps in, supporting the younger hedgehog. “Though it is, admittedly, a strange theory.”

Sonic smirks. _“See?_ It doesn’t make any sense!”

“That does not mean that it is not a possibility.”

“It’s a _crazy_ possibility. And that’s coming from someone who’s saved genies in magic books and aliens in an interstellar amusement park.” 

“...Excuse me, _what?”_

Sonic turns to Silver, noticing the bewildered expression on the younger hedgehog’s face. “Oh yeah, I didn’t tell you about that. Well, it—”

The blue hedgehog doesn’t get to finish his thought as a new sound suddenly interrupts him. Or rather, a new _voice._

_“Are you sure you’re not just imagining things, Espio? ‘Cause I don’t see anything.”_

_“There's something important here. I’m certain of it.”_

_“Well, okay then. Just remember we're supposed to be helping Tails and the others look.”_

Behind tri-colored windows, three sets of eyes widen. And then, in perfect unison, they all turn to land on the pedestal. Another understanding comes to the trio as they stare at the white object. The button. The _controls._

Shadow hits the button, the pedestal glowing red. At once, the camera pans to the side, a head twisting towards the sound. 

In the distance, traveling across the meadow, are the Chaotix. Charmy hovers ahead of Vector and Espio, the youngest of the three buzzing with an excited expression.

“Wow, these are so pretty!” the bee exclaims, flitting around the daffodils. He lifts one of the blooms, taking in its cool perfume.

 _“Charmy! Vector! Espio!”_ Sonic shouts at the screen, waving a hand. “Shadow, we gotta stand up!”

“What do you think I’m trying to do, Faker?” the red hedgehog barks back, pressing the button harder. For a second, the world shifts upward before quickly dropping back down.

“Let me try!” Sonic says, dashing over to the pedestal. He smacks the button, the console switching to blue. This time, when the world moves up, it remains at a higher level this time. The planet savior smirks proudly at his rival. And then the camera falls back down again. 

Shadow snickers quietly. “Excellent job, Faker.”

“Shut up.”

 _“Focus,”_ Silver reminds, stopping next to Sonic, “We have to—“

“Hey, guys! There’s _someone_ over here!” Charmy suddenly shouts. Within a millisecond, Sonic, Shadow, and Silver feel panic crash into them. The two speedsters slam the button at the same time, the console glowing both red and blue. 

“Shadow, let me—“

“My attempts at using this have ended more favorably than yours.”

“Are you kidding me?”

 _“Guys!”_ Silver shouts, interrupting the argument. About two seconds after the time traveler speaks, the world shakes. The three hedgehogs as the sensation of hands on their shoulders runs through them. Orange eyes and stripes antenna appear on the screen. 

“Hey, are you okay?” Charmy asks, not demonstrating any concern for personal space. He hovers uncomfortably close by before being pulled back by a scaled arm. 

“Charmy!” Vector chastises, throwing a quick glare at the bee. He then turns his attention to the strange hedgehog. “Sorry about that. He can be a little rude sometimes.”

_“Hey!”_

“It’s true!”

Charmy pouts, letting out a huff. Vector simply shakes his head while Espio continues to look at the hedgehog. Staring. Intensely. At an uncomfortable level.

Being the fastest of the three, Sonic is the first to press the button. Green eyes focus on the screen as the console glows. On the other side of the glass, vocal cords stir as a new voice utters its first words. 

_“Hello?”_ the hedgehog says, his voice both alike and unlike that of his components. It’s young and curious with an underlying gruffness to it. A lighter tenor with hints of a baritone range.

Vector grins warmly. _“Hello!_ I’m Vector. The pipsqueak here’s Charmy and the ninja’s Espio. What brings you out here, stranger?”

At the crocodile’s question, the floodgates open wide. Now understanding a little better how this works, Sonic, Shadow, and Silver all reach towards the console. The sound of clicking fills the air as the pedestal rapidly switches between blue, red, and yellow.

“I—He—We—explosion—Chaos Control but he—I, messed up, _stupid!”_

All three of Chaotix flinch back, pupils shrunken, as the strange hedgehog’s words run together in an incomprehensible mess. Gloved hands fitfully grab at head quills as tri-colored eyes slam shut. “I should have—I was—It’s all my—Now we’re _stuck_ and _nothing_ makes _sense, stupid, idiot—”_

Suddenly, the hedgehog’s disjoined rant ceases. His eyes snap open to see two large hands gently cradling his own smaller ones.

“Hey,” Vector says softly, a hint of commanding threaded into the word. Multi-colored eyes focus on the crocodile’s face. “Can you take a breath for me?” 

There’s a beat of silence before the hedgehog reacts, the instruction needing to pass through three minds. Eventually, he obeys, pushing air into his lungs. Behind the glass, three others do the same. The Chaotix observes quietly before Vector speaks again.

“Good,” the detective states, a small smile on his face. He helps the hedgehog to his feet. Blue legs tremble, but they finally hold steady this time. “Now, can you tell me what your name is?”

The hedgehog’s expression does a complete flip at the question. He beams, childlike giddiness twinkling on his face. _“Yes,”_ he answers happily. He can answer this. “It’s _S…”_

For the second time, the Chaotix find themselves staring at the stranger. The hedgehog’s mouth opens and closes repeatedly as if he’s about to speak, but nothing comes out. Vector, Espio, and Charmy shuffle nervously in the grass as multi-colored eyes stare blankly ahead. And then abruptly, the hedgehog flops to the ground, landing face down in the dirt.

Three pairs of eyes look down. And then with the grace and tact of a six-year-old child, Charmy breaks the silence.

“I don’t think he’s okay, guys.”

* * *

The whirl of the office’s ceiling fan fills the room as the Chaotix consider their situation. As detectives, the three are well acquainted with mysteries. But this, _this,_ is proving to be a particularly interesting one.

Three pairs of eyes sneak a glance at their new guest. The hedgehog is sitting behind the desk, arms resting atop the wood surface. While his head is turned towards the glass of water in his hands, his tri-colored eyes are unfocused. Every so often he draws in a shaky breath.

He looks so _small_ and _distraught._ So _young._ And that observation is almost as unsettling as his lack of identification.

What _happened_ to him?

Swallowing, Vector slowly steps away from the others, towards the hedgehog. Almost immediately, the kid—he’s a _teenager_ —recoils back, ears slicking back and back pressing into the chair. Eyes like traffic lights shrink into dots, flashing and darting around the room. Vector pauses only for a moment before shoving down emotion and continuing on. 

_“Easy,”_ the crocodile whispers, raising his hands where the hedgehog can see. “We’re here to _help_ you. It’s _okay.”_

For several seconds, the stranger simply stares at Vector. Multi-colored irises scan goldenrod ones, searching for any sign of malice. Gradually, quills relax, tension receding like the tide. An eternity later, the hedgehog manages a tiny, stiff nod. The two spines framing his face bob slightly with the movement.

On the other side of the room, a purple tail twitches imperceptibly. 

That shade of _blue…_

Two eyes drift down to see red boots. 

And those _skates…_

A fragile smile crosses Vector’s face. “Okay. Do you know how you got to the meadow?”

Like flipping a switch, the hedgehog’s demeanor unexpectedly changes. His quills bristle again, but this time it is frustration rather than fear, that causes the strands to hike up. 

“I already told you!” he exclaims, voice dipping into its lower range. “Me and S... I was... We were _all_ there and there was an explosion! It was his—my— _our_ idea to do Chaos Control and it… _Why aren’t you listening to us?!”_

The cup shatters, water and plastic spilling across the desk. In an instant, everyone freezes, clear shock on all of their faces. 

Multi-colored eyes flash again as water soaks through gloves. “It… I… _I don’t know what happened! We’re sorry!”_

The hedgehog surges to his feet, chair scraping on the floor. His fur switches between flat and raised, his hands shooting up to his head. “You’re making it—Let g—I can _fix—Sonic!”_

At the mention of a _very_ familiar name, the Chaotix jolts to attention. 

“Did you just say _‘Sonic’?”_ Espio inquires, tone neutral. The stranger simply yanks at his ears, muttering to himself. His white gloves seem to almost glow under the light. Undeterred, Espio narrows his eyes, moving next to the quivering hedgehog. “How do you know _Sonic?”_ he interrogates. His fellow detectives look on with both concern and confusion.

“Espio, what are you _doing?”_ Charmy asks, antenna drooping. But his friend carries on.

 _“Sonic the Hedgehog_ has been _missing for several hours._ We’ve been tasked with _looking for him, and you know something. Where is he?!_ ” The chameleon presses louder. This time, the hedgehog finally responds. His head snaps up, throwing a cloudy, green glare at the ninja.

_“I AM Sonic!”_

With a single statement, the room erupts into pandemonium. Charmy and Vector let out shouts of pure bewilderment while Espio steps towards the stranger, questions flying from lips like arrows. 

_“Who are you?_ A _spy?_ An android created by _Eggman?_ An _imposter?”_

_“N-No! I’m not a fake! I-I’m REAL! I’m S—”_

The hedgehog curls tightly inward, eyes screwing shut and overflowing with tears. He mutters quick, fragmented sentences, seemingly having a conversation with himself. _“What’s happening?! Calm down! I am calm! SHUT UP!”_ His body shudders, chest rapidly falling and rising with each ragged breath and painful heartbeat. 

Vector turns sharply to Espio. “What are you _doing?_ _Do you want him to faint again?!”_

The chameleon barely gives a glance to his boss, his gaze still focused on the panicking hedgehog.

_“I’m a hero! I help people! I PROMISED!”_

“Alright, that’s _it!”_

Before he can react, Vector seizes Espio and shoves him away from the hedgehog. The ninja immediately shouts in protest, but is unable to wrestle his way out of the crocodile’s strong grip.

“What are you— _Unhand me!”_

“Not until you calm down! _Look_ at him, Espio! He’s _terrified!”_

_“He could be—”_

_“He’s a KID! What is WRONG with you?!”_

As Espio and Vector continue to argue on the other side of the room, the last of the Chaotix finally decides to try his hand at speaking to the hedgehog. The young bee foregoes flying, instead electing to walk over. With a tenderness very rare for the child, he lightly taps the tense ball of quills.

“Mister? I’m sorry I was rude earlier. I know Espio’s seems kinda scary, but he’s really nice once you get to know him.” He explains quietly. The stranger’s gaze flickers momentarily toward him, but he doesn’t say a word. Charmy pauses, observing the mass of blue. He bites his lip, uncertainty flashing on his face, before a tiny grin unexpectedly forms. “One time, when I was _really_ scared, Vector showed me how to do this breathing thing so I wouldn’t be afraid anymore. It’s really easy! All you do is breathe in for seven seconds and then breathe out for eleven! Here! We can do it together! Are you ready, Mister?”

In an exaggerated fashion, Charmy inhales, his cheeks puffing out comically large. He glances over the hedgehog, placing his hands on his hips. Upon seeing the child, the stranger blinks before carefully following. He draws in a breath, a little more unsteady than Charmy’s, but deep enough. Together, Charmy and the stranger exhale, air and tension ebbing out of them. _One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven._

“Do you feel better now, Mister?” Charmy inquires. At the hedgehog’s nod, the bee beams brightly. “Yay!” he cheers, drawing a wince from the teenager. Immediately, the child lowers his volume. “Oh! _Sorry!”_ He whispers, a sheepish expression on his face. A smile tugs at the corners of the hedgehog’s mouth. “So,” the young detective begins, “Do you have any friends or family we could call? Who could help you maybe?”

The stranger blinks again, a blank look coming over his face. _Friends…?_ The word tumbles through three minds before eventually stopping. 

“Tails…” he says softly. The name feels wrong in one way, but so right in another. _“Tails,”_ the hedgehog repeats, more certain this time. His irises shine green.

Charmy nods. _“Okay.”_

* * *

It’s a perfect day for flying. The sky is clear, there’s a light breeze in the air, and no storms in the forecast. It’s a good day. 

Tails has not felt this stressed in a while. The anxiety hammering at his mind is one that he wished he never had to feel again. At the very least, not this soon. Turning the plane to the right, the fox peers down, scanning the ground. His eyes are still focused below when a chime sounds on his docked handheld. Tearing his focus away from his search momentarily, he presses down on the screen. At once, pink quills fill the screen.

“Any sign of them?” Amy inquires, tension dripping from her tone. Tails shakes his head. The girl’s frown deepens. “It’s been _four hours,_ and _nobody’s_ heard from any of them. I expect this from Sonic and Shadow, but not Silver. Where are they?”

“I wish I knew, Amy.”

The pink hedgehog lets out a frustrated noise. “I just… I _know_ for a fact that Sonic and Shadow have survived worse than this before but…” she pauses, drawing in a breath. “Please let me… Let _us_ know as soon as you find _anything.”_

“I promise.”

At the kit’s nod, a weak smile forms on Amy’s face. She offers a tired but sincere goodbye before leaving, her own search to resume. A second after her image disappears from the screen, Tails lets out a heavy sigh. He pulls a hand through his bangs before returning to his task, determination burning in his eyes. The fox spends about three minutes searching before his handheld starts ringing again. Upon realizing who is calling, he immediately slams the answer button.

“Have you found anything?” Tails asks, hope coloring his tone. The leader of the Chaotix scratches at the back of his head, a nervous expression on his face. “Vector?”

“Umm, _yeah,_ hi, Tails. We, uh, _kind of_ found one of them? _Maybe?”_

A yellow ear flops to the side. “What do you mean _‘kind of’?”_

“Well, he _says_ he’s Sonic and he’s been asking for you but…” Vector pauses, breaking eye contact. He glances at something off screen before returning his focus to the camera. “Well, he’s kind of _different._ You should just come to the office. As soon as you can, preferably.”

Without warning, the crocodile abruptly hangs up. Tails blinks, staring at the screen before reality catches up a moment later. 

Sonic looks… ‘different’. Okay. _Sure._ This wouldn’t be the first time, and it will most certainly not be last. Sending a quick message to Amy and the others, Tails banks a hard right and makes a beeline for the Chaotix Detective Agency.

At the speed he’s going, it doesn’t take long for the fox to reach his destination. Parking the Tornado-1 outside, he hurries into the office. As soon as he enters, he is met by two of the detectives.

 _“Where’s Sonic?_ Is he _okay?”_ Tails quickly asks, eyes darting around the room. He finds no sign of blue quills and red sneakers.

The leader of the Chaotix gives the fox a tense smile. “He’s in the other room. And you might want to sit down for a bit. There’s… some things you should know. Besides him looking different.”

Tails blinks. “What do you mean?” 

Vector sighs, rubbing his neck. He glances at the kit, still on his feet with no sign of sitting. The crocodile swallows. “We found ‘Sonic’ in a meadow nearby. He was really shaken up. We started talking to him and he fainted. When he woke up later and we tried to ask him some questions, he…” The detective pauses, sucking in a breath. “He had a panic attack.”

Yellow ears perk up. “A _panic attack? Sonic?”_

“Yeah. Charmy managed to calm him down. He’s with him now.” Vector sneaks a quick peek at Espio, the chameleon still as a stone in the corner of the room. ”Are you okay, Tails?”

The fox startles slightly at his name. “Y-Yeah. What wouldn’t I be?”

Vector, wisely, does not say anything. Instead, he rises from his chair and turns to Tails, a solemn expression on his face. “Do you want to see him now?”

“Yes. _Please.”_

“Alright.”

With long, heavy strides, Vector leads Tails down the hallway. Stopping at a door, he lightly raps on the wood surface. A muffled “Come in!” is heard through the threshold. Vector pushes open the door, going in first with Tails behind him. As soon as the fox enters the room, an unfamiliar voice suddenly speaks.

 _“Tails!”_ There’s the sound of hasty footsteps and then a yelp as someone trips. Blue quills land face down on the floor. As if on instinct, Tails rushes over to the fallen hedgehog, helping him up. So caught in this familiar action the fox doesn’t notice the stripes on the teenager’s spines. The different style of quills. It isn’t until tri-colored eyes stare back at him that Tails shrinks back. 

Green expands on irises as a shared heart pumps a little faster. 

_“Tails?_ ” the stranger says. The nickname sounds off on this foreign tongue. “What are…? It’s _me. Sonic.”_

The fox’s mind tumbles, brain trying to process reality with expectation. Blue fur and white gloves. Yes. But the shoes are different, the quills are different, the voice is different, _everything_ is _different._ Even when he was the wolf, Tails could still recognize his brother in the form. Sonic _never_ trips over his own feet. He _never_ has tear-stains on his muzzle. 

Twin tails swish back and forth like a metronome, betraying emotion. Multi-colored eyes seem to fog over slightly. 

“You don’t… _You don’t believe me,”_ the hedgehog says. His voice sounds so horribly _sad._

Sonic _never_ sounds sad.

Tails stares silently at the stranger, two conflicting thoughts unable to gain any purchase over the other. Irises flash, yellow and red pushing back before green overtakes them. The blue hedgehog steps towards Tails, a sudden steadiness to his stride. He holds his arms out in a placating gesture, and Tails feels himself fall further into confusion. The movement _screams_ Sonic, but it… That _can’t_ be right.

The stranger stops, a small and terribly familiar smile on his face. “Do you remember when you were little,” he begins, a strange softness and age to his young voice. “You said you wanted to see the stars. You pushed yourself to fly higher and higher, hoping that one day you could look at those lights up close. But no matter how hard you tried, you could never do it. So I bought you a telescope. That way, you could finally have your wish. Remember, Tails?”

For one, endless moment, nobody utters a word. Blue stares into green, searching as they have for the past four hours. And then, like the sun emerging after a storm, a child rushes forward, throwing his arms around his older brother.

 _“I’m sorry!”_ Tails exclaims breathlessly. “I should have never doubted you. _You are Sonic!”_

Two other colors creep into green irises before gloved hands lower onto yellow fur. “Yeah, about…”

“Why do you look like this? Where are Shadow and Silver?”

“Um… Well, you see... I’m not the only one in here? Shadow and Silver are here too. We’re here. I mean, _I’m here?_ It’s… _very complicated.”_

The silence that follows the hedgehog’s statement is deafening. Four pairs of eyes stare at blue quills, pupils like pinpoints. Tails draws his arms back.

 _“What.”_ Charmy states, an ocean of pure puzzlement behind the single word.

Green shrinks under red and yellow. Blue arms fold over each other, gloved fingers rubbing at elbows.

“We…” the hedgehog begins, rocking on his heels. He swallows, looking down. “We were inside Eggman’s base and there was a _bomb._ So we tried to use Chaos Control to send it away. But something went _wrong_ and now we’re stuck together.”

It’s a vague explanation but it seems to be enough for a certain genius mind to start working. Tails blinks back into focus, pupils returning to their normal size. “W-Well…” he paces, trying to wrap his mind around this. “It’s possible the chaos energy might have… _fused_ you three when you all used it all the same time. But can Silver even use chaos powers, I didn’t even _know_ he could.” The fox suddenly turns to the combined heroes. “Do you have any ideas as to how this happened?” he inquires, surprising the hedgehog.

“I don’t even know how this happened in the first place, all we remember is a light and then we were _us!”_ the fusion replies, breath hitching. Tails is standing next to him, and the air feels heavier all of a sudden. 

“Well, maybe it doesn’t matter. If they were close together, it might have still worked.” Vector suggests, trying to unravel this mystery as well. He walks up right next to Tails and the fusion, oblivious to the flinch that the latter gives.

“Guys?” the hedgehog whispers, wrapping his arms tighter around himself. His chest hurts and they’re too _close_ but these are his—your—my friends, what’s happening, what’s _happening? “Guys?”_

The others don’t seem to hear him.

Tails raises a hand to his chin. “You’re probably right. But I’ve never heard of anything like _this_ happening before. What other things is chaos energy capable of?”

A chill runs down the fusion’s back, and he curls inward more. Why… Why is it suddenly so hard to _breathe?_ We’re—He’s—I’m the Ultimate Life Form, but that’s _Shadow_ and I’m _him_ but what about _them?_ I can’t—Why is everything so blurry? _“T-Tails…”_

“I don’t know. You guys know more about that chaos stuff that I do.”

“Yeah, but this is unlike _anything_ we’ve seen before. I wonder if—”

 _“TAILS!”_ the hedgehog shrieks, collapsing to the floor. In an instant, cyan light explodes across the room as objects shoot into the air, lifted by psychic energy. 

At once, Vector moves in front of Tails and Charmy, intending to protect the two children. The door swings open, Espio rushing in. He dashes to Vector’s side, shurikens brandished. The sparkle of sharp metal reflects in blue irises, and a mind slams back into awareness. 

_“STOP!”_ Tails frantically cries. He darts in front of the Chaotix, waving his arms wildly. 

“Tails! What are you _doing?!”_

“You’re going to _hurt_ him!”

A green scaled arm grabs the fox’s shoulder. “He’s going to hurt—”

 _“NO!”_ Tails screams, shoving the hand away. Before anyone else can react, the kit races over to the trembling fusion. Throwing all logic out the window, he engulfs the hedgehog in a tight embrace. Seconds pass like years as the fox presses his face into the side of the teenager’s head, water pooling in his own eyes.

Items flying wildly in the air abruptly stop, standing completely still. Unmoving. Frozen. As if time simply ceased. 

Tears stream down the fusion’s muzzle, his glowing hands sprawled out limp before him. Familiar symbols— _Silver’s_ symbols—sputter and pulse erratically on palms. Eyes like broken stop lights stare blankly ahead, unfocused and hollow. In the distance, three detectives stare in shock.

 _“Shhh…_ It’s _okay._ It’s _okay.”_ Tails soothes, voice nearly a whisper. He nuzzles deeper against the hedgehog’s face, clinging to him as if life depends on it. Yellow hair and blue eyes.

 _“M—!”_ the fusion chokes out.

 _“I’m right here.”_ His sibling responds, a soft hand tenderly brushing quills.

Slowly, cyan light fades from glowing palms. At once, objects fall to the ground, chairs and cups tumbling landing with a loud crash. The two brothers don’t hear it, the duo locked inside their own little world. Blue arms move up and curl around smaller yellow ones, warmth spilling down two faces.

Vector draws in a deep breath. “Let’s give them some space,” he utters softly, placing a hand on Charmy and Espio’s shoulders. The door closes with a quiet click.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Crazy chapter for you all today. Hope you all enjoy it!
> 
> As usual, a big thanks to SmallPwbbles for doing three amazing illustrations for this chapter. She also designed Sonic, Shadow, and Silver's mindscape forms, as well as the mindscape itself. You can find the designs here https://smallpwbbles.tumblr.com/post/623645612109332480/we-take-a-lot-of-inspiration-from-su-if-you
> 
> The other awesome drawings belong to TharkFlark1. Shoutout to the PocketHog discord!
> 
> Questions, comments, and concerns below please! See you next chapter!
> 
> (we're only on chapter 2, guys)


	3. Last Thing You Expect

Something tickles Sonic’s nose. With an annoyed groan, the blue hedgehog rolls over, in no hurry at all to get up. He settles onto his side, finding a comfortable position.

 _What a weird dream…_ Sonic sleepily muses, pulling a blue cloud against his chest. _I’m glad THAT’S not real._

_…Wait._

Green eyes snap open.

A _BLUE cloud?_

The Fastest Thing Alive abruptly bolts upright, flinging the cloud from his hands. All at once, images rush into his fully conscious mind. 

Eggman’s base. Shadow and Silver. An explosion. The Chaotix. Tails. Traffic lights.

Sonic’s gaze lands on the landscape in front of him. Clouds float by lazily against a golden sky, sunlight dappling the ground below. A darkened screen and pedestal stand nearby. Looking down at his hands, Sonic releases a deep sigh, eyelids slipping down in resignation. When he opens his eyes, he looks over to the side. Silver is still asleep, curled up into a ball. 

One of Sonic’s ears flops to the side. _Where is…?_

“You’re finally awake,” a gruff voice suddenly declares. At once, Sonic flinches, eyes flying wide in surprise. 

_“Shadow!_ Geez, you really know how to startle a guy!”

The Ultimate Life Form huffs quietly, a both annoyed and vaguely pleased sound. Sonic shakes his head, expecting nothing less from his lookalike. The blue speedster places his hands on the ground behind him, leaning back. Next to him, Shadow crosses his arms. The two rivals silently study the expanse of sky before the sound of mumbling draws their attention. Red and green eyes glance down to see Silver snuggling a large, white cloud. The younger hedgehog is burying his face in the fluff, an expression of pure bliss on his face. It’s such a pure and innocent sight that Sonic can’t help but grin.

“He really is just a kid,” he comments, recalling a similar scene but with yellow-orange fur instead of glowing quills. 

“He’s not much younger than you,” Shadow states. 

“I know that. It’s just… I’ve never seen him like this before. So… _little.”_

Another silence descends on the rivals. It’s heavier this time, the weight of this finally setting in.

“This is real,” Sonic says softly. “We really are fused.”

There’s something in Sonic’s tone that catches Shadow off-guard. It’s not seriousness or sorrow, it’s something else. Red eyes narrow imperceptibly, trying to place the emotion. But just as soon as it materializes, the _something_ vanishes. Shadow blinks, watching as Sonic stands up and walks over to Silver. The blue speedster kneels down next to the younger hedgehog.

“Wake up, sleepyhead,” Sonic teases, childhood memories fresh in his mind. Gently, he nudges Silver’s shoulder. “Or you won’t get any pancakes.”A few steps away, Shadow observes the action with quiet curiosity. 

_“Wha…?”_ Silver mumbles, eyes slowly opening. With a yawn, he stretches his limbs out. The light-colored hedgehog blinks, vision slowly coming back into focus. “I had the _weirdest_ dream last night,” he mutters.

The smile on Sonic’s muzzle falters briefly. “It wasn’t a dream, Silver. We really did get fused together.”

At once, Silver goes rigid, fully awake. Yellow eyes scan the sky, then glowing fur, and finally red and blue quills. _“Oh,”_ the time traveler simply utters.

 _“Yeah,”_ Sonic replies, rising to his full height. He gazes over to the dark screen and then the pedestal. Shadow is already standing at the console, a hand hovering over it. The red-colored hedgehog presses down on the button.

Gradually, light begins to shine from the screen. It starts slow and faint, like dawn’s rosy fingers after a long night. Blobs of color evolve into clear shapes.

On the other side of the glass, a ring-clad wrist rubs at red-colored eyes. Instinctively, a mouth yawns, letting out a little squeak and revealing sharp teeth. 

Three hedgehogs look at the world through a shared lens. They're on a bed, but how they got there is a mystery. Looking back, they remember walls closing in. Deafening voices and the feeling of being squeezed by a vice. Not being able to get enough air into their lungs. Darkness like space and prisons and smog. A dam suddenly bursting but what caused it to break?

The image on the screen sharpens slightly. Shadow blinks, puzzled.

 _Is he… crying again?_ The alien hybrid wonders. One of his hands automatically flies towards his own eyes, and he blinks again when he finds them dry. _I’m not crying. So why is he?_

“You good there, Shads?” someone inquires. Sonic and Silver have joined him in standing next to the control console.

“Yes,” Shadow replies, dispelling any sign of confusion on his face. He hits the button again, sending the command to get out of bed. It takes a moment for anything to move, but Shadow knows that patience is the key here. This body is like a newborn fawn, unsteady and clumsy. Eventually, the fusion manages to sit up, pushing the blanket aside. He slides off the bed and onto his feet… and promptly falls face first into the floor. 

_“Are you fu—”_

_“Shadow! Chill out!_ It’s not a big deal!” Sonic exclaims, reaching towards his doppelgänger. The Ultimate Life Form growls, teeth bared. Immediately, Sonic backs up, arms raised. _“Alright, alright!_ Geez, _somebody’s_ in a bad mood today! What is it now?”

At the blue hero’s words, pupils in red irises slit ever so slightly. Red quills bristle as Shadow glares at his rival.

“Let me see. We are trapped in this _useless_ body with no concrete idea on how this occurred in the first place. Half of the time we can’t get it to work properly. Oh, and we don’t have _any_ ideas on how to unfuse. Is that a satisfactory answer for you, _Sonic? Or would you like me to continue?”_

Green eyes blink once. Then twice. And then Sonic shakes his head no. Next to him, Silver wears a similar expression of ‘Please calm down, I’m sorry’. And the time traveler had no part in any of this.

 _“I thought so,”_ Shadow says, turning back to the pedestal. The hint of satisfaction on his muzzle disappears when a new voice suddenly speaks.

 _“Guys?”_ the young voice asks. _Tails._ Within seconds, the fox sprints over to the fallen hedgehog and helps him up, sitting him on the edge of the bed. “What happened?” the kit inquires, taking a seat to the right of him.

 _“It fell,”_ the fusion huffs, pointedly avoiding eye contact.

A yellow ear flops over. _“‘It’?”_

“This _body,”_ the hedgehog growls, irritation evident.

Twin tails swish with confusion. Blue eyes peer at the hedgehog’s face, finding red irises instead of multicolored ones. Recognition flashes on the kit’s face.

“Wait, _Shadow?_ Is that you?”

The fusion folds his arms, narrowing his eyes slightly. Yep. That’s Shadow, alright.

Tails swings his legs, the action reflecting the flurry of thoughts in his head. This is just getting stranger and stranger. “So,” he eventually starts, and Shadow glances over to him. “Do you guys like… take turns in there?”

 _“Ha!_ I wish!” the hedgehog abruptly says, his tone doing a complete flip. It’s freer now, playful and happier sounding. The fusion’s eyes have changed to a sarcastic green.

_“...Sonic?”_

“Yep,” the hedgehog replies, a familiar grin stretched across his muzzle. “What’s up?”

Blue eyes blink. It feels like he has whiplash or something from witnessing this. What is going on in there? Swallowing, Tails tries his best to reorient himself.

“Right,” he begins, hoping that there isn’t too much nervousness in his voice. “So you said that you used Chaos Control to send the bomb away. Was there anything that you remember being… _off_ about it?”

There’s a beat of silence as the question permeates through three minds. Two eyes flash three colors before settling on yellow. When the hedgehog speaks, his voice has a perceptive and yet childish quality to it. There’s Silver.

“No? I mean, there were bolts of electricity and the chaos was corrupted but I don’t remember anything being off? Then again, I don’t have any experience with chaos powers. What do you think, Shadow? Sonic?”

Silver pauses. A second later, his eyes change back to red, and someone else crosses his arms. They switched _again._

“Faker botched the—“ Shadow starts to say before his irises flash again and now there’s green in them as well. “For the _last_ time, _no, I didn’t! Yes, you_ did! Would you just—“ The hedgehog suddenly grabs at his quills, three colors now battling in his irises. “Would you guys _stop it?!_ The more you spend fighting, _the longer we’ll be stuck like this! Shut up!”_

In an instant, the fusion goes slack. The room goes silent save for the sound of labored breathing. One minute, then two, then three pass by. Slowly, the breaths even out, returning to normal. When the hedgehog turns back to Tails, yellow is the dominant color in his irises. _“Sorry,”_ he utters, ears flattening slightly. The word pulls Tails out of his stunned stupor. 

“It’s… It’s fine,” the fox manages to respond. “You don’t have to apologize.” Tails steals a glance at the fusion before aiming his focus at the floor. “You guys… are going through a lot right now.”

The older of the two males sighs. “Yeah…”

Another silence descends on the room. 

Tails doesn’t meet the hedgehog’s gaze. “I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that you three are all in there. Sharing the same body. You’re all so different it’s a mystery you guys haven’t torn each other apart yet.” The fox chuckles quietly. “You’re like… a mental paradox or something.”

A blue ear twitches. “What did you say?” he suddenly asks, turning to the kit. Tails looks up. 

“Uh… _I’m still trying to wrap my head around this?”_

“No, no, the last part.”

_“You’re like a mental paradox?”_

At the kit’s words, something clicks in the three minds. For the first time, his irises split evenly into red, yellow, and green.

 _“Paradox…”_ the hedgehog repeats slowly, as if the word is a delicacy to be savored. He grins like the first star that shines in the dark of night. _“Yeah._ That’s what you can call us. _Paradox the Hedgehog.”_

Despite the anxiety buzzing in his mind, Tails can’t help but smile as well. “Well,” he says, a playful tint to his voice. “It’s nice to meet you, _Paradox.”_

The newly-named Paradox beams. “Nice to meet you too, Miles,” he greets excitedly, drawing a laugh from the fox.

“Please. ‘Tails’ is fine.”

 _“Okay!_ And you can call me ‘Dox’ for short! _”_

With a snort, Tails shakes his head. _Alright, you’ve had your fun. Time to focus._ ”So _Dox_ ,” he begins, testing the nickname on his tongue. “You said the chaos was corrupted? What do you mean by that?”

Paradox blinks, colors swirling in his eyes again. “Um… Can one of you—” the hedgehog starts before red overtakes green and yellow. “When the doctor’s machine was damaged, the energy within its circuits created a feedback loop with the emeralds. This caused the chaos energy to become distorted. Corrupted.”

“Okay. So that’s what the ‘bomb’ was. Corrupted chaos.”

A nod.

“Alright. So you used Chaos Control to send it away. There was a bright light. And then what?”

Green expands on irises as Paradox raises a hand to his chin. “Then… Then we woke up in the meadow like this.”

“Nothing in between?”

“No.”

Disappointment flickers on Tails’s face. “Oh.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay. We can figure this out. We just need to…” The fox pauses, ears perking up slightly. “Wait. If Chaos Control caused this, maybe all you need to do is use it again. Replicate what happened.”

“But we don’t have any of the emeralds anymore.”

“Then we’ll go and find them! We’ll get the emeralds, you’ll use Chaos Control, and everything will be fixed.”

Red shoves down yellow and green. “You seem confident that will work.”

“Well, do you have any better ideas?” Tails asks. When he is greeted with silence, the kit smirks. 

A lovely hint of pink colors Paradox’s muzzle, his cheeks puffing out slightly. “Yes, well… You… This is…” the fusion fumbles, eyes flashing. He looks to the side sharply. “Where are the Chaotix?”

Though he chuckles at the obvious attempt to change the topic, Tails lets it slide. “They went back to the meadow to look for any clues. For…” he gestures to the fusion with a hand, _“this.”_

“Oh, okay.”

Tails studies the hedgehog for a moment. He draws in a breath. “We should probably head back to HQ. The others have been worried about you three. And getting help in finding the emeralds means we can get you guys back to normal sooner.”

Paradox blinks. “They were worried about us?”

“Of course. We _all_ were.”

A series of emotions rapidly passes over the fusion’s face, three minds all thinking at once. Trying to understand. But as quickly as they appeared, the strange expressions are covered by a neutral face. Even so, Tails can still see the slightest blush on tan fur. Predominantly green eyes don’t meet the fox’s gaze, fixed on the floor. 

_“I’m…_ not too sure that’s a good idea,” Paradox states, shuffling his feet. He looks up sharply, a confident grin plastered across his muzzle. “I mean, we can find the emeralds ourselves! Just like old times!”

Tails shakes his head, easily seeing through the facade. He may look different, but the fox could recognize _those_ reactions anywhere. But there are two other people sharing that same body, and that complicates things. He has to tread lightly here. The kit knows how his brother will react, but Shadow and Silver? This might not end well. 

“You’re worried about what the others will think, aren’t you?” Tails finally asks, hoping that he’s said it in the least offensive way possible.

Immediately, the hedgehog stiffens. _“What?! No! That’s a ridiculous idea!”_

“The others will understand. You don’t need to worry.”

 _“You—I—We—Argh!”_ Paradox sputters, nearly the same color as his stripes. He tugs at his quills before covering his face. Gloved hands muffle his voice as the fusion’s three components argue with each other. After about a minute, Paradox uncovers his face, audibly inhaling. There’s still a hint of red on his muzzle. _“HQ,”_ he blurts out loudly. As if he’s struggling to get the words out. Which he probably is, everything considered. “We have to go back to _HQ.”_

Tails blinks. “Are you—”

 _“Yes._ Let’s go _now.”_ Paradox exclaims, bolting to his bare feet. He makes it two steps towards the door before tripping on air and face planting on the floor again. Tails jumps off the bed, wincing at the hard _thud._

There’s a beat of silence.

And then, in a quiet, resigned voice, Paradox politely asks Tails for help.

* * *

Red and white boots pound on the concrete as Amy paces for the hundredth time across the room. Not far away, Knuckles and Rouge sit and observe the girl with weary expressions. In the corner, Omega stands stone-still, a silent sentinel watching the tension grow. 

“Relax,” Rouge states, her assured tone concealing her own worry. “He’ll get here soon.”

“He should have been here by now!” Amy exclaims, hands balled into fists. “What’s taking so long?”

“Well, maybe something’s holding him up. It happens, you know.”

“That doesn’t explain why he isn’t answering our calls!” Amy retorts, stepping towards the bat. The two females glare at each other before the younger suddenly shudders. Fresh tears pool in mint eyes. “I’m sorry. I just…”

“You’re worried this will be like last time,” Rouge finishes, pulling the veil back a fraction. 

Amy blinks. She nods stiffly.

Knuckles takes the opportunity to lighten the situation. “Sonic was _alone_ then. He’s got Shadow and Silver with him this time. If those three get their act together and work as a team, they’re practically impossible to take down.”

The pink hedgehog wipes her face. “I guess you’re right.”

“Of course I’m right,” Knuckles replies, flashing a grin. It draws a giggle from both of the girls, anxiety momentarily forgotten. As the laughter dies down, Omega suddenly steps forward.

“THE TORNADO HAS ARRIVED,” he declares. At once, three pairs of eyes widen. Not long after the declaration, the door slides open. Tails stands in the threshold. 

“Tails!” Amy shouts, scurrying over to him as he walks in. _“What happened, did you find anything?”_

At the girl’s queries, an unrecognizable expression appears on the fox’s face. It’s not sorrow but it’s not happy either. It just looks… _tired._

 _“Tails?”_ Amy repeats. This time, the kit answers, his expression suddenly brightening. 

_“I found them. They’re okay.”_ Tails announces. Immediately, the others let out sounds of relief. 

“That’s great!” Knuckles cheers. 

The smile on Tails’s face doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “Yeah.”

“Where are they?”

Tails turns back towards the door. He bites his tongue, his namesakes swishing behind him anxiously. “You can come in now,” he instructs, loud enough to be heard through the metal. The door slides open again to reveal a familiar blue shade of quills. 

_“H-Hey, gu—”_

_“Sonic!”_ Amy squeals, scurrying over to the hedgehog. In an instant, she throws her arms around him, engulfing him in a bone-crushing hug. “I’m so glad you’re okay! I was so _worried!”_ The girl cries, nuzzling against white chest fur. So caught up in expressing her joy she doesn’t notice the empty, disassociated stare on the boy’s face. Knuckles and Rouge’s bewildered expression. Or Tails’s sheepish grin. Amy’s arms are only wrapped around the hedgehog for about fifteen seconds when she abruptly freezes.

Mint eyes snap open. 

Sonic doesn’t have chest fluff.

Slowly, Amy peers upward. And comes face to face with the most awkward, anxiety filled grin in the universe.

For one, eternal second, the two hedgehogs stare at each other. And then, with the gentleness of a thousand GUN trucks, Amy breaks the silence.

“You’re not Sonic,” she states. In response, the fusion lets out a sound like a balloon deflating. Embarrassment and shame rapidly setting in, Amy abruptly pushes Paradox away, sending the male falling for the third time in less than two hours. The blue hedgehog yelps as he lands on the floor, three minds jolting back into awareness upon impact. 

Amy gasps. _“Oh my gosh!”_ she exclaims, wearing a furious blush of her own. “I thought… Oh gosh, I… _Here!_ Let me help you!” Without giving Paradox a chance to respond, she takes his hand and pulls the fusion back up. Paradox staggers to his feet, the three minds inside his head trying to regain their bearings. When he doesn’t say anything after a while, concern compels Amy to fill the lull. “I am _so_ sorry!” she apologizes. “I thought you were Sonic!”

The blush on Paradox’s face returns with vengeance. “Um, yes, well, you’re sort of right,” he says, fiddling with his gloves.

A beat. _“What?”_ Amy gapes. Behind her, Rouge and Knuckles look on with equally puzzled expressions. 

Paradox tenses up, eyes glazing over. Somewhere in the distance, three teenage boys collectively decide that _no,_ they do _not_ want to deal with this.

Luckily for the trio, Tails finally decides to intervene. “So you know how I said I found Sonic, Shadow, and Silver?” The fox steps forward, tails swishing. Rouge, Knuckles, and Amy nod, confusion still evident. Tails swallows. “Right,” the kit continues, pushing past the lump in his throat. “Well, _this_ is what happened,” he gestures to Paradox. Noticing the fusion’s blank stare, he _gently_ pushes the hedgehog, snapping him back into focus. His eyes bloom green, shock flashing on his face, as Shadow and Silver both decide to shove Sonic towards the control console. Fumbling, Paradox gives a tiny, quick, and _not at all nervous_ wave. 

_“...What?”_ Knuckles manages to say, mind attempting to process what he’s just heard and seen.

Tails sighs: a weary, heavy noise. He forces a grin to his face. “Everyone, I’d like you to meet Paradox. He’s a fusion of Sonic, Shadow, and Silver.”

At once, Rouge, Knuckles, and Amy all blink owlishly at the fox and hedgehog. The two wither slightly under their combined gazes. 

“...SCAN COMPLETE: CAN CONFIRM.” Omega’s robotic tone breaks the tense silence. “THE BEING’S BIOLOGICAL MAKE-UP IS 33% AGENT SHADOW, 33% SILVER, AND 33% SONIC.”

At her teammate’s analysis, Rouge wanders over to the fusion. She leans in, a bit too close for comfort. “How is that even possible?” Taking note of Paradox’s vacant expression, the bat jabs a finger into his temple. “He doesn’t look like Shadow…”

In an instant, Paradox’s irises flood red. With a narrowed look, he bats away Rouge’s hand. _“Quit it.”_

Rouge’s confusion quickly fades to amused awe. “He sure acts like him, though.” She smirks at the scowling hedgehog before redirecting her attention to Tails. “So how’d the boys end up rooming together?” the spy inquires, ignoring Paradox’s annoyed huff. 

“From what they’ve told me, a combination of one of Eggman’s machines, the Chaos Emeralds, and a giant explosion,” Tails explains. 

“Can they… unfuse?” Amy asks quietly, mint eyes studying the fusion. As if searching for something. 

_“No,”_ the fusion grumbles as Tails winces, his fur bristling. The two males recall with distinct clarity a very recent memory. Paradox had attempted to unfuse right before they left the Chaotix‘s office, but the mental strain had made Silver’s psychic powers act up again. A chair that was unfortunately in the wrong place at the wrong time _shattered_ into a hundred pieces. Not wanting it to happen again— _especially_ to anything important or living—Sonic, Shadow, and Silver had agreed to not try again until they figured out how to better use their current body.

Realizing that Paradox is unlikely to expound on his answer, Knuckles takes the opportunity to ask a question of his own. “So how do you plan on undoing this then?” 

“With the Chaos Emeralds, hopefully. But we’ll need to find them again since they scattered after the explosion.” Tails responds. “I was hoping you all could help us find them. The sooner we get them all, the sooner we can fix this.”

Rouge tilts her head, smiling confidently. “Well, you’ve come to the right place, then,” she says, before raising her arms in a mock hurt position. “I _suppose_ I could let you borrow my precious jewels if it brings our boys back.” 

Knuckles snorts. “Sure, bat.” In response, the spy simply flutters her eyelashes at the echidna.

Tails clears his throat. “Okay, thank you,” he blurts out, the faintest of pinks on his face. “The Chaotix are already looking for clues. They should be coming back…” The fox trails off, attention suddenly fixed on rose quills as Amy steps closer to Paradox. Despite her being right in front of him, the fusion seems to not have noticed her. 

“Uh, Amy…” Tails reaches towards her.

“Why does he keep doing that?” 

The fox is taken back by the question.“Doing what?”

Amy snaps her fingers in front of Paradox’s face; he doesn’t even flinch. _“This._ The ‘not totally there’ thing. Is there something wrong with him?” Noting the fusion’s continued unresponsiveness, the girl takes his hand. The moment her fingers brush against his, Paradox slams back into focus. He recoils back, sucking in a shallow breath. Multicolored eyes flash as the hedgehog finally registers the figure standing next to him, _too close to him._ His pupils only shrink further when he realizes the weight around one of his hands. Fingers wrapped tight. Closed. Constricted. 

_“N-No…”_ Paradox whispers, voice almost too soft to be heard. _It’s happening again._ Somebody moves towards him, and his breath hitches. Panic rapidly setting in, one of the three manages a hasty response. _“H-Hey guys, I need to use the bathroom, okayseeyoulater!”_ he exclaims, voice rising in pitch. Before the others can react, Paradox bolts out the door and down the hallway. Primarily yellow eyes dart across walls, the one most familiar with the location taking the lead. Even so, the walls and doors loom above them, unrecognizable. After what seems like an eternity of running—the sound of their shared heartbeat deafening in their ears—they find a door. Yanking it open, they dart into the room, slamming the door behind them. Immediately, they crumble to the ground with their back against the door, knees pulled to their chest. Their vision blurs for a moment, and they realize that they’re crying.

 _“S… Sh…”_ the fusion chokes out, three trains of thought pulling in different directions. _We need to… Why are we… What’s happening?!_

 _“S-Sonic?”_ a trembling voice stammers. Yellow eyes blink rapidly, trying to clear away tears. 

_“Y-Yeah, Silver?”_

_“I… I’m…”_

_“I know. It’s gonna be okay though. Everyone’s gonna help us. We’ll be back to normal in no time. You’ll see.”_

Red eyes narrow slightly. _“H-How are you so certain about that?”_

A smile like the wisps of a dandelion forms. _“Well, somebody’s gotta be, right? Without hope, what’s the point of doing anything?”_

Gradually, a heartbeat returns to its usual rhythm. Strand by stand, quills relax and lay flat. Tension recedes like the tide, a wave washing against the shore. And shallow breaths become deeper. The three boys sit on the cold floor for several minutes, debating and deciding what to do. Glancing around, they notice that the bathroom is still dark, the light forgotten in their haste. Drawing in one more breath, they rise to their feet. Their arm quivers as they move it but they manage to flick the switch. At once, light floods the room. They blink, eyes hurrying to adjust to the change. When the brightness decreases to a tolerable level, they scan their surroundings again. 

Tri-colored irises land on a small mirror on the wall above the sink. Without thinking, feet step towards the pane of glass. A hand reaches up to touch its double. 

_This…_

_This is Paradox,_ three voices realize, eyes like traffic lights staring into his— _their_ —reflection. 

Striped, cobalt quills stick up in various directions, the unruly spines in clear need of grooming. Red and white stripes decorate the tops of each quill, little arrows pointing down. Soft white fur adorns a tan belly, some of the fluff wrapping around and peeking above two back quills. Gold inhibitor rings surround each wrist, nestled between the folds of white gloves. A peek down finds red hover-boots with teal, white, and gold accents. 

“Well…” Sonic begins, eyes widening when it isn’t _his_ voice that speaks. He blinks, flexing his— _their_ —joints. “At least we don’t look _bad._ I think we look kinda snazzy.”

“You don’t get to talk, Faker. He looks the most like you.”

“But you _do_ agree that we don’t look that bad?”

“...Where are my features?”

A beat. “Uh… the long lower head quills, I guess. And we have five front quills. Even if two of ‘em are small. And your boots stayed so that’s a plus!"

The tips of blue ears fold down. “...I guess.”

“Hey, cheer up! At least we don’t have like four eyes or something!”

“Don’t jinx it, Faker.”

The boys’ discussion is interrupted by the sound of a knock on the door. Ears immediately hike up in surprise. _What should we do? They’re going to ask us about this! Uh, what if we—_

“Paradox? It’s me, Tails.”

Silence.

“Sonic? Shadow? Silver?”

With a sigh, Paradox steps towards the door. Drawing in a breath, he opens the door. “Hi, Tails,” he greets, fatigue bleeding into his tone.

Blue eyes blink at the fusion, taking in the tear stains on his muzzle. “Are… Are you okay?”

A grin forms on Paradox’s face, artificially bright. “Yeah. Of course I am.”

Tails bites his tongue, shoving down the dozens of words on his mind. He turns away from the hedgehog. “Well, alright,” the fox states. His namesakes twitch behind him. “Are you… good to head back then?”

“Yep,” Paradox nods. It takes everything Tails has not to say anything.

With slow steps, the two males head back down the hall towards the command room. This time, Paradox is the first of the two to walk through the threshold. He takes a look around… and instantly tenses. The room is _packed_ with people. _Thirteen_ to be exact, a monumental jump from the four from earlier. Two wolves and a lemur are perched on the stack of crates, while an armadillo and flying squirrel are sitting on a box nearby. Blaze and the Chaotix stand near the wall of screens and converse with Amy, Knuckles, and Rouge. As usual, Omega lurks in the corner of the room.

It takes about two seconds for three minds to process everything. But as soon as they do, they all agree on a response.

 _“Nope,”_ Paradox utters, spinning on his heels back towards the door. He doesn’t get very far before Tails seizes his arm.

“You said you were okay!”

“Yeah, well, we _lied!”_ the hedgehog responds, trying to escape. But the fox’s grip is too strong.

“We _need_ their help if we’re going to get you guys back to normal!” Tails snaps, fingers tightening when the fusion continues to pull away. _“Paradox!”_

_“Let go of me!”_

In a flash of blue light, Paradox vanishes into thin air. There is pure shock for a split second before the blue hedgehog reappears in the middle of the room. At once, gasps and sounds of surprise are heard. The fusion freezes, pupils like pinpoints, as he notices the crowd of eyes locked on him. With everyone staring and his—their—heart pounding, Paradox goes rigid, eyes glazing over. Thoughts crashing and colliding in the world’s largest mental pile-up. The three minds struggle and argue as the crowd around them grows ever closer in curiosity. A tightening feeling seizes their chest as a strange sensation brushes their palms. _“We can’t—We need to get them to back—Guys? What’s—Um, maybe we should—Oh n—_ ” 

Sonic, Shadow, and Silver look on in pure panic as the mindscape glitches, colors inverting and clouds vanishing out of existence. There’s a moment of stillness, the eye of the hurricane passing over. And then suddenly, everything blinks out and Paradox shuts down.

* * *

Twin tails softly pat the floor. Above, a clock ticks by. 

After explaining the situation as best as he could to the rest of the Resistance, the fox had everyone sent on the mission to find and retrieve the Chaos Emeralds as soon as possible. He wasn’t usually the person to give orders, but barking commands at everyone had felt oddly cathartic. But when the crowd dispersed, the weight had resettled in his chest.

Tails looks up wearily at the standing hedgehog. It had been nearly two hours and the fusion was still catatonic, completely cut off from the rest of the world. The others had suggested means of shaking Paradox from his stupor, but Tails had vehemently dismissed all of them. There was no telling how the fusion would react, and the memory of splintered wood was still fresh in his mind. And so, Tails found himself waiting once again for Paradox to wake up. It felt like he was doing that a lot. The fox drags a hand across his face, an increasingly frequent action of his. As he contemplates his situation yet again, there’s a light knock at the door. In an instant, yellow-orange fur hikes up. 

“Tails? May I come in? It is Blaze.”

“Blaze? O-Oh, sure.”

The door opens and closes with a quiet click, the princess mindful to avoid causing any loud noises. Blaze turns to Tails and then Paradox, a frown forming on her face when she observes the fusion’s condition. 

“He still has not regained consciousness?”

Tails shakes his head. “No. And I don’t know what to do. This is the worst it’s been.”

The guardian of the Sol Emeralds raises an eyebrow. “The worst? What do you mean?”

A sigh. “Well… He’s spaced out before. And,” Tails pauses, “He’s had panic attacks earlier.” The fox looks up once more at the fusion. Blue quills—the same shade as his brother’s—but he’s _not_ his brother but he sort of _is._ “But usually he’d run or his—er, _Silver’s_ psychokinesis—would act up. And even when he would space out, you could just give him a nudge.” Tails demonstrates by lightly hitting Paradox’s leg with his elbow. “And he’d be back on track. But this, _this_ is new.”

Blaze’s eyes widen a fraction. “I see…” she responds, a thoughtful look on her face. “If you do not mind me inquiring, do you know what caused the panic attacks?”

Surprise briefly flashes across the fox’s face. “Oh! Well, I wasn’t there for the first one but Vector said that Dox freaked out after they asked him some questions.” Tails stops, tapping his chin. “And then the second time, he had a panic attack when we were discussing how the three got fused in the first place.”

“Hmm. And this time, the one that just occurred, would be the third severe reaction then, correct?”

“Yeah.”

A lavender tail swishes as Blaze tilts her head, eyes contemplative. Three incidents. Two that provoked panic attacks and one that caused catatonia. It was obvious that Sonic, Shadow, and Silver were anxious and stressed—getting fused together would do that—but why were the reactions different? Why was the last one different? Questions, discussion, people—

Something clicks in the princess’s mind. 

“Tails, you said his psychokinesis would act up. Can you describe it more?”

“Um, well, he _shattered_ a chair earlier when he tried to unfuse.”

Blaze’s mouth straightens into a thin line. She raises a hand. Fire sparks from her fingers, a vermillion plume dancing on white fabric. The flame reflects in yellow eyes for a moment before a voice speaks again.

“Much like myself, Silver normally has excellent control of his powers. But emotional distress can cause our powers to flare up involuntarily. _Dangerously.”_ Blaze’s lips curl into a frown, her brow furrowing. The fire in her hand abruptly expands outward, eliciting a gasp from Tails. Before the flame can grow any larger however, it suddenly vanishes. The guardian of the Sol Emeralds turns to face the fox completely. “Based on what I have seen and what you have told me, Paradox is likely the same way. And he is aware of this. It is likely that he tried to suppress his powers from acting up, and lost consciousness in the process.”

“So he short-circuited?” 

“Essentially, yes,” Blaze turns back to the fusion. “Of course, the next course of action would be to wake him back up, but…” the cat’s ear flicks. “We have no way of knowing if he will be calm and relaxed, or spring back into that moment of panic from a few hours ago.”

Tails gets up from the floor and stands next to Blaze, guiltily looking down at the cold floor. “He… He didn’t want to come here but I forced him because I felt it was necessary. I’ve _never_ seen Sonic so frightened.” The fox’s ears flop downward. “This is kind of my fault then, huh? Sonic’s my brother and I guess that means Paradox is by extension. I'm responsible for him.”

Blaze places a firm but gentle hand on the kit’s shoulder. “Do not worry yourself over it. You did not know at the time but now we can be more careful about it in the future. This is foreign territory to you, to us, to them. It was a mistake we can learn from.” The cat’s gaze refocuses back to Paradox. _If we ever get that chance…_

At that moment, the door behind the duo cracks open. Rouge and Knuckles enter. “Hey!” The bat salutes. “How’s hotel for three doin’?”

If the circumstances were different, Tails might have laughed at the joke. But right now, he simply frowns. Rouge and Knuckles quickly take note of his unamused expression, and switch to seriousness. The spy holds a hand out to the fox, revealing a glittering, green gemstone. 

Like flipping a switch, Tails’s face lights up. “You found one _already?”_ he marvels, running over to the bat. 

“Of course,” Rouge winks. “I _am_ the world’s greatest treasure hunter after all.” Next to her, Knuckles snorts but stays silent otherwise. The emerald emits a soft glow, bathing the surroundings in a soft green. 

Across the room, blue quills twitch almost imperceptibly. One eyelid blinks and then the other as eyes slowly come back into focus. Tense muscles relax as air is audibly heaved into frozen lungs. 

Blaze, Tails, Rouge, and Knuckles freeze. The youngest of the four opens his mouth as if to speak but then closes it. Blue irises study green ones. 

“...Sonic?” Tails inquires, hope flickering in his tone. 

A stiff, blue arm raises in a weak salute. 

“Silver?”

Unused vocal cords stir, almost too soft to be heard. _“...Present.”_

“Shadow?”

The quiet voice deepens into a heavy groan. It’s such a contrast to the prior two actions that the others blink in surprise. Rouge grins.

“Top of the morning to you too! Did you have a nice nap, sweetie?”

Paradox—Shadow—rubs his face roughly. “Shut up, Rouge.” In response, the bat simply giggles, sauntering over to the fusion.

“So?” she asks, mask dropping for a moment. 

Blue arms fold over each other, gaze softening slightly. _“So.”_ At once, Rouge gives a small sigh of relief. The spy lifts an arm. 

“Got you a present,” she teases, presenting the emerald. “You’re welcome.” 

Yellow and green creep back into red, the three hues sharing the space. “A Chaos Emerald,” Paradox utters, voice wavering slightly. _Wait, are we nervous?_ The hedgehog reaches towards the jewel, hand quivering. “Can we…?” _Why is our arm shaking, it’s a Chaos Emerald, we use them all the time._ Seeing Rouge’s nod, the fusion swallows the lump in his throat and reaches again. The crystal feels heavy, its surface warmer than usual. Paradox turns the emerald over in his hand, examining its surface. 

A flare of light is the only warning Paradox has before a harsh, stabbing pain surges up his arm. A wail tears itself from his lips as he staggers back, his other arm reflexively moving to cradle his injured hand. The emerald clatters to the ground, the stone glowing angrily.

Tails rushes to Paradox’s side. _“Are you okay?!”_ he shouts, coming to the right of the teetering hedgehog as Rouge moves to the left. Together, the bat and fox steady him back on his feet. The fusion grimaces, eyes screwed shut. He manages a stiff nod.

 _“What happened?”_ Rouge asks, eyes blown wide. 

Paradox pries his eyes open. _“Emerald… Hurts… Don’t know…”_

“What?”

Knuckles steps forward to pick up the still-shining stone, his brow furrowed. “The Chaos Emerald. It pushed him away. It doesn’t want to be used by him.”

Tails, Rouge, and Blaze blink. “What do you mean?”

“Imagine if you took two magnets. When you put two north poles together, they repel each other. Considering how much Sonic and Shadow already have, Paradox is overflowing with chaos energy. So the emerald pushed him away.” The echidna pauses, glancing up from the jewel to Paradox. “And it’s likely that the initial explosion that fused them left behind some excess corrupted energy; maybe that’s what’s keeping them together.”

At Knuckles’s words, Paradox’s eyes burn red. “Why didn’t you say that _before?”_ he snarls, fur bristling. _“You were just going to let us—Shadow, chill out! He didn’t—You shut up!”_ With a growl, the fusion yanks at the quills on either side of his face. His head snaps up towards the others, face flushed. _“S-Sorry! Sonic and Shadow are—I can handle this!”_ Without warning, Paradox suddenly punches himself in the face.

With an agility that only comes from having friends who have superpowers, Blaze and Knuckles tackle Paradox against the wall, pinning him down. Tails can only look on in wearied horror as the fusion continues to spout both angry expletives and embarrassed apologies. Rouge covers her mouth, trembling with barely contained humor.

“Tails! Rouge! _A little help here?!_ ” Knuckles shouts, letting loose a curse of his own when Paradox bites his arm.

Tails lets out a heavy sigh, a single thought filling his tired mind. _Something tells me we need to fix this as fast as possible._

As if in reply to the fox’s unsaid statement, Paradox lets out a shriek as Blaze tweaks one of his ears. Tails simply sighs again. He needs a nap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh look, the boys are fighting. What a surprise.
> 
> You might have spotted a couple cameos in this chapter. Cookie for anyone who can name all of them. 
> 
> The lovely illustrations are once again courtesy of TharkFlark1 and SmallPwbbles! The two are also responsible for the crazy humor in this chapter, and for making me have to take a break from writing because I was laughing so hard. Thanks guys!
> 
> See you next chapter!
> 
> (we're already over 15 000 words, what the HECK)


	4. A Little Blue Flower

If you told Miles Prower five years ago that he would be living with a superhero who’s saved the planet multiple times, he would think it would be the coolest thing in the world. But right now, living with someone who was a fusion of three of the world’s strongest heroes—a time traveler, the ultimate life form, and someone who has fought literal gods—Tails thinks that this is one of the _worst_ things in the world.

He loves his brother. Really. Soni… _Paradox_ means well. Tails knows that he’s trying his best, that _they’re_ trying their best. This is all so crazy, and none of them really know what they’re doing. He understands that. But it’s hard when each day brings more stress and questions that nobody can answer. 

Maybe it was foolish—or maybe a childish fear of not wanting to let go in fear of losing him again—but Tails decided to take responsibility for Paradox. It was obvious that the fusion _couldn’t_ be left alone, much less _live_ alone. He was unsteady on his feet, stumbling and tripping constantly. There are three minds arguing with each other, each one struggling to move and act in the way that they personally know. Three teenagers pulling in different directions, and the result is the clumsiness and coordination of a small child. Anything you tell him has to be repeated at least three times, his patchwork mind predisposed to ignore, not retain, information. Broken sentences and stuttered speech tumble from his lips, three people trying to communicate through one mouth. At the very least, Sonic, Shadow, and Silver have been remembering to keep their dialogue more internal lately. 

“Sorry” and “It’s okay” have become well-worn out phrases recently. 

As stressful as watching over a toddler—a _super-powered_ toddler with the craziest taste in food, even better—is, this isn’t the part that has caused a deep exhaustion to permeate every cell of his body. It’s the part that Tails _can’t_ see that proves to be the worst part of this whole situation.

Catatonia. The zoning out. Stepping close to the fusion and suddenly his breaths are shallow and his eyes are flashing like broken lightbulbs. Furious glares and artificial grins and hasty apologies. Glowing palms and a shattered chair. 

Rubbing his face, Tails shelves these thoughts away. He needs to get as much work done as he can while Paradox is still asleep. Covering up a yawn, the fox focuses on a particular item on his worktable. Tails picks up his jewel radar, scrutinizing the device. Across the room, the green emerald emits a soft glow from within its container.

“Why do you _not_ want to work properly?” Tails mutters, glaring at the radar. While it has been a while since he’s had to use this thing, that doesn’t explain why it’s being so finicky. It keeps glitching, detecting either no emeralds or all seven of them. He’s recalibrated the radar multiple times and yet it _still_ will not work. Releasing a heavy sigh, Tails sets the device down and reaches for his screwdriver. He’s about to disassemble this thing for the third time when a chime sounds from his nearby handheld. Bewilderment materializes on the kit’s face upon realizing who is calling.

“Mrs. Vanilla?” 

“Good morning, Tails. My sincerest apologies if I woke you.”

“No, I’ve been up for a while.” _Actually all night but that’s not important._ “How are you?”

“I’m well. I actually called you because there’s something I’d like you to come and pick up.”

Tails blinks. “What is it?”

There’s the tiniest of pauses before Vanilla answers. “Cream found a Chaos Emerald,” she reveals.

* * *

Tails steps towards the front door. When he stops knocking, he notices Paradox rubbing his elbows and rocking on his heels. The fox’s namesakes twitch behind him. 

This gesture is one that Tails recognizes. He turns to face the hedgehog completely, wearing a concerned expression. “Are you going to be okay, Paradox? You can wait in the Tornado if you want. It’s okay.”

Paradox seems to startle a bit at the statement. “Yeah. It’s Cream and Vanilla and Cheese. Just three people. Oh, and Gemerl too. That’s four. Who haven’t seen us like this before.” The fusion abruptly drops his arms. “We’re _fine._ This is _fine. Why haven’t they answered the door yet?”_

As if answering Paradox’s question, the door begins to creak open. Immediately, the hedgehog freezes. 

“Hello, Tails. Again, I apologize for such short notice.” Vanilla pauses, gaze moving to the right of the fox. Her caramel eyes widen for the briefest moment before softening. “Hello, there. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I’m Vanilla.”

One of Paradox’s hands raises to give a tiny wave. _“H-Hi…_ We’re _S—_ I mean, my name is, _um… It’s…”_

 _“Paradox,”_ Vanilla finishes, a sincere smile on her face. “Tails told me on the phone.”

A faint pink spreads on the fusion’s face. _“O-Oh,”_ he stutters. _“Of course he did…”_

Vanilla simply grins brighter. In response, Paradox fiddles with his quills, a short, nervous laugh escaping from his lips. Tails looks torn between comforting his brother and possibly triggering his claustrophobia. The fox settles his hand awkwardly on the hedgehog’s shoulder, still not sure where the boundaries lay. He glances up at Vanilla.

“May we come in?” Tails inquires, the tiniest bit of weariness in his tone.

Vanilla gasps. “Oh, of course! I am so sorry! Please, come in!” With a flourish of her arm, the rabbit invites the two brothers into her home. Tails has to nudge Paradox to get the fusion to move. Inside, Vanilla calls down the hall after shutting the door. “Cream? Tails and Paradox are here!” Within seconds, the sound of footsteps and fluttering wings fills the air.

“Tails!” Cream exclaims excitedly, stopping in front of the fox and his brother. Cheese and Chocola hover on her right, while Gemerl stands by her left. Much like her mother, the bunny pauses upon seeing the fusion. “Hello, Mister Paradox,” she greets. “My name’s Cream. And this is Cheese, Chocola, and Gemerl.” Following Cream’s introductions, the chao and gizoid offer their own salutations. The blush on Paradox’s muzzle intensifies to a lovely rose. He lets out a quiet squeak. 

“Have a seat. I’ll go and get the emerald.” Vanilla offers before stepping disappearing down the hall. The two brothers sit down on the couch, the taller of the two glancing nervously around the room. It doesn’t take long for Cream to notice the tension.

“Are you okay, Mister Paradox?” She asks, stepping towards the fusion. Multi-colored eyes jerk towards her. Before he can respond, something prickles his skin. Like a burst of static electricity. Somewhere in the distance, three minds fumble for an explanation. _What was—_

“Here’s the Chaos Emerald,” Vanilia announces, returning with a glowing, white jewel. Immediately, Paradox goes rigid as multiple reactions are sparked in his brain. _The emerald! We need—can’t—hurts—Argh!_ The fusion jumps behind the couch, but instead of landing on his feet, he lands on his face once more. After a bit of scuffling, tri-colored eyes peer over the back of the couch, squinting suspiciously at the emerald.

The rabbit family blinks owlishly. 

“Are you… quite alright, dear?” Vanilla eventually manages to say. 

Tails answers for his brother. “He’s fine. This… This is normal for him.” _Normal._ What a funny word. Noticing the confusion still evident on the others’ faces, the fox continues. “Paradox can’t touch the emeralds because they’ll shock him. Knuckles said it was because he already has so much chaos energy. It’s like if you tried to put two identical magnet poles to…” Tails suddenly trails off, his blue eyes widening. 

Something clicks in his brain. He pulls out his jewel radar.

“Two _identical_ magnets. Well, identical is a bit of a stretch but the level of chaos energy must be about the same for this to occur. Wait, _that’s it!”_ Tails jumps off the couch with a grin, deftly landing on his feet. Vanilla, Cream, Chocola, and Cheese blink. Behind the couch, Paradox makes a quiet sound of disappointment. _No fair, he landed on his feet._ “That’s why my radar isn’t working. It keeps confusing Paradox with the emeralds. All I have to do is recalibrate it with him out of range.”

“That’s… That’s _wonderful,_ Tails,” Vanilla simply states, trying to be supportive. “Is there anything we can do to help?”

“No, I can take it from here. Thank you again so much for the emerald.” Stepping forward, Tails takes the white emerald from Vanilla’s hand. As soon as he puts away the radar and jewel, a loud yawn escapes from his lips. 

At once, Paradox blinks. He studies the kit, focus landing on twin tails that are not swishing as much as they should. Bangs are that a little messier than usual. Blue irises that don’t shine as brightly as they normally do. “Tails…” the fusion begins, his gaze a worried green. “Did you pull an all-nighter again?”

Tails replies almost instantly. _“No,”_ he answers quickly. Hastily.

Green eyes narrow. _“Tails…”_ Paradox presses, walking around from behind the couch with his arms crossed. “I _know_ you want to help but you _need_ to sleep.” Now standing directly in front of him, Paradox ruffles Tails’s bangs. The fox’s muzzle scrunches up in annoyance as he bats the fusion’s hand away. 

“But S—Paradox, we need to find the Chaos Emeralds so we can unfuse you guys!” The kit exclaims.

“And we will. But you need to rest. Even super geniuses need their sleep.”

The two brothers stare at each other for several moments, blue eyes glaring at green ones. After an eternity, the younger of the two deflates, conceding the match. But the kit refuses to go quietly, his head hanging down and a frown etched into his features.

Paradox draws in a breath. “Look. I know that _we’re_ the reason why you’re so tired.” The teenager pauses, curling inward slightly. “I-I haven’t been the best roommate. I mess up and break things and forget stuff. W-We… _We’re trying._ But maybe we should be trying harder. You’re my little brother. _I_ should be the one worrying about _you.”_

Tails remains silent, a conflicted look on his face. Paradox sighs. Placing a hand on the kit’s shoulder, he gives his brother a kind smile.

“Hey. Why don’t we do this? You take the emerald and the radar and go back home. You can do whatever you want: take a nap, fix your radar, anything. You’ve been worrying about us so much but you gotta think of yourself too. I’ll stay here and you can pick me up later when you’re ready. Does that sound like a plan?”

There’s a silence following Paradox’s suggestion. Tails’s eyes are still locked onto the ground. But slowly, the fox’s gaze moves up to meet Paradox. A little smile, young and happy, forms on his face.

 _“Okay,”_ he finally says.

“Okay.” 

Drawing his hand back, Paradox turns to the others. Nervousness creeps into his grin as he looks at Vanilla. “Oh, _geez, I should have…_ Um, _c-can I please—”_

“Of course you can, Paradox.” Vanilla answers, and the teenager immediately lets out a sigh of relief. The rabbit turns to her right. “Gemerl, could you be a dear and prepare us some tea please? I’ll make some sandwiches. Tails, would you like any food before you go?”

Tails blinks. “Um… No, thank you.”

“Alright. Cream, will you please show Tails out?”

“Yes, Mother!”

As the two younger mobians leave, Vanilla and Paradox are left in the room alone. Silence descends except for the occasional _tinking_ of dishes from the kitchen. After several more seconds of quiet, Paradox clears his throat. 

“So, um, anything I can do to help?”

* * *

The breeze carries the perfume of flowers through the air. A light blue canvas stretches above, the distant harmony of songbirds audible in the distance. Inside the house, Vanilla and Gemerl are nearly finished with preparing the tea and its accompaniments. The older rabbit had released the younger two mobians outside to lay down a tablecloth after they’d helped her with the scones.

Paradox sits quietly on a bench in the garden, his gaze not focused on anything in particular. Not too far away, Cream, Cheese, and Chocola pick flowers. The trio giggle excitedly with one another, the sound grabbing Paradox’s attention. Three voices begin to converse, their discussion unheard by the outside world.

“What are they laughing about?” 

“They’re just happy.” 

“What are they doing with the flowers?” 

“Making flower crowns. Cream’s really good at it.” 

“You seem awfully familiar with all of this.” 

“Well, I’ve babysitted Cream before. She’s a really good kid. Always polite and kind to everyone. She’s a lot like Tails when he was younger.” 

Two pairs of eyes blink. Shadow turns to face Sonic, while Silver drops his arms to hang over the edge of the cloud he is lounging on. A strange light falls over the oldest hedgehog’s face, his features softening.

“Your relationship with Tails is quite _interesting,”_ Shadow comments.

“What’s so interesting about it?” 

“The dynamic between the two of you. Within a single conversation, you switch between affection, tolerance, and aggression. It’s… _odd.”_

Sonic chuckles quietly.  “Well, that’s brothers for you. One moment you’d kill for them, and the next you won’t hesitate to kill them. Funny how that works, huh?” 

“But you guys argue a _lot,”_ Silver points out. 

“Families disagree on things. It’s normal. You don’t have to agree on everything but you should still support each other.” 

At the blue speedster’s words, Silver makes a thoughtful sound. Meanwhile, Shadow glances away, an unknown emotion flickering on his countenance. Sonic briefly studies the two before shifting into another sitting position. A rare moment of quiet meditation descends on the mindscape. So caught up in their own thoughts the three don’t notice movement on the screen. It isn’t until a sound abruptly cuts through the silence that the trio jolt back to attention.

“Mister Paradox?” A high-pitched voice inquires. Multi-colored irises slam back into focus to see Cream, Cheese, and Chocola standing directly in front of them.

“Cream?” Paradox says. _Shoot, we zoned out._ “What is it?”

The bunny beams brightly. “I made you a present!” She announces. Paradox peers down. And the three colors in his eyes even out.

Clutched in the girl’s hands is a crown of iris flowers. Ultramarine blossoms with accents of white and yellow are woven together in a circle with green leaves. Paradox blinks, staring at the object. 

“This… This is for _me?”_ He asks softly. Cream nods. Slowly, Paradox lifts a hand. Hesitant fingers delicately pluck the gift from the bunny’s hands before gently turning and inspecting the creation. He gasps quietly, eyes wide with wonder. _Wow..._

“Mister Paradox?” 

Blue ears hike up in surprise. Cheese and Chocola chirp and point at their heads as Cream smiles. Finally, the thought connects. 

_“Oh!”_ Paradox exclaims. Carefully, he places the crown onto his head, arranging to sit as best as he can. A warm feeling flutters in his chest, sweet like a sundae with whipped cream. A grin spreads across his face and he gazes at the others. “It’s so _pretty!”_ He gushes happily. “Thank you!”

Cream giggles. “You’re welcome!”

Paradox brushes his fingers against the crown, feeling the petals. They’re soft. Nice. This is _nice._ His grin widens. Cream looks at him.

“Do you want to pick flowers with me, Mister Paradox?” She offers. “We can make more flower crowns! Or make a bouquet!”

“Sure!” Paradox answers, rising up from the bench. He teeters slightly on his feet, instinctively throwing his arms out to balance himself. In an instant, Cheese and Chocola fly behind the hedgehog’s back, pushing him upright as Cream grabs his right hand. _“S-Sorry!”_ Paradox apologizes. His expression falls. “I’m… not very good at this…”

“It’s okay,” Cream responds, a sympathetic smile on her face. She squeezes the fusion’s hand. “We’ll help you. Just look at me and try your best to walk, okay?”

“Okay…”

Slowly, the bunny begins to walk backwards. Cheese and Chocola hover behind Paradox, not touching but ready to catch him if necessary. The fusion stares at Cream with nervous eyes. But the girl combats his anxiety with encouragement and kind words, and his steps gradually become more steady.

“You’re doing great, Mister Paradox! I’m going to let go of your hand now but I want you to keep looking at me. You can do it!”

Paradox feels his breath hitch as Cream releases her grip. But he pushes himself to keep going, pushes through the shakiness that threatens to creep back into his legs. The last steps to the flower bed are all him. Certain and controlled. It’s such a small thing—and he’s walked on his own before—but this feels special somehow. Important. He peers down at the bush of flowers blooming in front of him. Beautiful white and coral roses spread their sweet scent through the garden. Enthralled, Paradox reaches down to touch one of the blossoms. He lets out a yelp when something sharp pricks at his fingers.

Cream, Cheese, and Chocola rush over to the fusion. “Are you okay?” The largest of the three asks.

“Yeah. Something hurt my hand.” Paradox states, glancing back at the flowers.

“You must have touched a thorn. They’re really sharp.”

A blue ear flops down. “Why do they have thorns?” 

“Mother said that it’s because they need to protect themselves. Roses may look pretty but they hide thorns. You have to be careful around them.” The bunny pauses, turning her attention from the bush to Paradox. “We need the shears if we want to cut these flowers. Wait here. I’ll be right back.” With that, Cream and the chao hurry back inside the house. 

Paradox blinks, watching the three go. “Huh,” he simply says. _Why did we ask that question anyway?_ The teenager frowns. He scratches at the back of his head, colors mingling in his eyes, before shrugging. A gloved hand absentmindedly spins the ring on his other wrist.

“I told you not to do that.” 

“Wha? Oh, sorry.” 

The fusion draws his hand back, moving to instead stare at his palms. 

_“Huh,”_ Sonic suddenly says, slightly surprising the other two hedgehogs.  “I thought we had those marks on our gloves like you do, Silver.” 

“They only seem to appear when I use my psychokinesis. Er, _we.”_ The youngest of the trio hops off his cloud bed and joins the others at the console.  “Hmm… I wonder what other powers we have?” 

Sonic pops up from the ground. “ Well, we already know we have Chaos Control.  ” Paradox outwardly flinches. Best not to remember _that_ particular experience.  “You think we have super speed too?” 

Shadow huffs.  “I would assume so. But it would be best to _not_ test it out right now. I’d rather not have our face plastered to the outside of the Rabbits’ home.” 

_“...Eyeah,_ good point, Shads.” 

“I told—” 

“Sha _dow,_ yeah, I know, you don’t like the nicknames.”  Sonic dismisses, waving a hand and ignoring his rival’s glare.  “Speaking of nicknames, I need to come up with one for you, Silver. Give me like, five minutes.” 

Silver gives a raised brow.  “Uh, okay.” 

“The rabbit’s back,”  Shadow announces. Sonic and Silver look over at the screen. 

Cream is headed towards them, a pair of florist shears in her hand. She checks on Cheese and Chocola, the twins working together to carry a straw basket. Focused on the two chao, the girl doesn’t pay as much attention to the ground in front of her. The tip of her shoe catches a protrusion on one of the stepping stones, and gravity does the rest. Cream begins to fall forward, the blades of the shears glinting in the light.

In an instant, Paradox zooms across the garden. With one hand he catches Cream right before she hits the ground and with the other he snatches the shears from the air. The whole action takes place within less than a millisecond. To Cream and the chao, the fusion seems to teleport from one spot to another. 

_“Are you alright?”_ Paradox inquires, inspecting the bunny for any injuries. Cradled in the hedgehog’s arm, the girl gives a small nod. 

“Yes. Thank you, Mister Paradox.”

Assured of her well-being, Paradox sets Cream back on her feet. The fusion kneels down to meet the girl at eye level. “You need to be more careful,” he instructs, clutching the shears. Cheese and Chocola flutter behind them. “You could have gotten hurt.”

Cream folds her hands in front of her. “I will. I’m sorry.” The girl frowns, a guilty look on her face. She lowers her head, her two chao friends flying over to her. Paradox watches them before donning a smile and rising to his feet. 

“You wanted to get some roses, right?” The hedgehog asks. Cream, Cheese, and Chocola look up, surprised. “Well, let’s go then!” 

In a reverse of their earlier situation, Paradox takes Cream’s hand. With steady steps, the fusion leads her and the chao back to the rose bush. He returns the shears to the bunny, grinning eagerly. The girl responds with her own smile before turning to the flowers. Several careful snips later, the basket is filled with white and coral roses. No more than a minute after they collect the cut blossoms, a voice calls from the house.

“Cream! Paradox! The food’s ready!” Vanilla announces, emerging with a tray. Gemerl follows not far behind carrying a tray of his own. The rabbit and gizoid unload the trays onto a small rectangular table with four chairs surrounding it. A two-tier treat stand sits in the middle of the table, filled with scones and small sandwiches. A bowl of clotted cream and a jar of strawberry jam are set down with the teacups, plates, and utensils. A porcelain teapot decorated with painted flowers serves as the centerpiece of sorts to the entire collection. 

At her mother’s call, Cream hands the shears to Cheese and races over to her mother with the basket of roses. Vanilla thanks the child before politely asking her to get a vase to put the flowers in. Nodding obediently, the younger rabbit races back into the house, Cheese hovering after her so he can put the shears away. Cream re-emerges with the chao, carrying a vase filled with roses. The bunny places the vase onto the table. 

“Now…” she declares, “The table is set!” With those words, the two rabbits, two chao, and the gizoid take a seat at the table. Gemerl begins pouring tea into the cups while Cream politely takes three scones for her, Cheese, and Chocola. Vanilla glances over, noticing that Paradox is still standing off to the side.

“Paradox, dear, you can join us.”

The teenager’s ears perk up. _“Oh._ Sorry.” He replies, moving to sit down in the remaining chair. His eyes scan the table, hesitation flickering in tri-colored orbs. Vanilla glances down at the prepared scone on her plate, strawberry jam spread over clotted cream. 

“Here, dear,” she says, placing the food down in front of Paradox. The fusion gasps quietly, confusion evident on his face. 

“A-Are you sure? I don’t want to… This is yours.”

Vanilla shakes her head, a friendly smile on her face. “We have plenty of scones. And besides, you’re eating for three now.”

Paradox instantly flushes a cotton candy pink. _“Y-Yeah…”_ he laughs breathlessly, recalling with distinct clarity that he may have eaten an entire family-sized container of Neapolitan ice cream the other day. And then they had to go to the supermarket and _of course_ it was the _same_ green ferret working the register and she remembered them. And _of freaking course,_ there was this okapi in line behind them who kept checking her phone like _she had to be somewhere_ and _why is this taking so long, please hurry up, I just wanted some ice cream._ Maybe his powers will miraculously work again and he can Chaos Control out of here. But alas, they do not and the teenager is left sitting at the table, burying his face in his fluffy chest fur in an attempt to hide his blush. Fingers twitching nervously, the fusion jumps on the first impulse in his brain. Which is why he unexpectedly shoves half of the scone on his plate into his mouth.

Nobody utters a word as the teenager chews and swallows the pastry.

“So…” Vanilla breaks the silence, the very picture of a parent who has seen some things. “How are you doing, Paradox?”

At the sound of his name, the hedgehog’s eyes snap up, his blush darkening by just a shade. “Um… Fine, I guess,” he answers, after a beat. 

“How are you dealing with this?”

Paradox blinks. “...The food?” He asks.

Ever patient, Vanilla corrects him gently. “No, dear. How are you doing with being _fused?”_

Oh.

_That._

The hedgehog bites his lip, simultaneously feeling both too big and too small. “I… It’s… We…” he fumbles, floundering in an attempt to find the words to describe this. Whatever _this_ is. “It’s kind of like a dream,” he manages, the uncertainty in his words evident to even himself. “Except there’s three people and they all have the same dream. But you feel really awake though. That doesn’t make sense. Um… Maybe it’s like watching a movie then? But you can affect how the movie turns out. But that’s a video game, right? We’re not making any sense.” Paradox frowns, pulling at his side quills. _Why is this so_ _hard?_

“Paradox, look at me,” a firm but kind voice commands. It catches the fusion off-guard and he obeys without even thinking. Vanilla gives him a sympathetic smile. “It’s alright. Please don’t stress about it.”

Slowly, Paradox releases his grip on his quills. A breath tumbles from his lips, heavy and tense. The teenager drops his arms, the discord quieting in his head. 

The silence returns for several moments, broken when Cream jumps from her seat. “So, how do you move, Mister Paradox? Do you just think it and you move like you normally do? Or is it, like, different somehow?”

Paradox bites his lip. Another fun question. “Um… Well…” the fusion’s eyes swirl in contemplation, eventually settling on yellow.

Cream tilts her head. “Your eyes changed color again,” she comments.

A blink. “Oh, _that,”_ Paradox replies, secretly relieved for the change in subject. He knows the answer to this one. Tails had inquired about something similar sometime before. “Yeah, they change color depending on which one of us is in control. It’s red for Shadow, green for Sonic, and yellow for me. Uh, Silver. But usually our eyes are all three colors.”

The bunny hums thoughtfully. “They’re very pretty.”

In an instant, warmth rushes to Paradox’s face. _“O-Oh, wow, th-that’s, um, really nice of you to say…”_ he stammers, blushing furiously yet again. 

“Thank you, say _thank you,_ Silver!” 

_“Th-Thank you.”_

Cream grins. “You’re welcome!” She chirps. The pink on Paradox’s muzzle intensifies, and his irises swirl as someone else is shoved to the front. Blinking, the fusion hastily grabs his teacup and saucer in the hopes of covering his face. Hot tea slides down his throat as two voices panic.

_“Shadow, you can’t—”_

“My body has a high tolerance for heat.” 

_ “That doesn’t mean this one has it too!”  _

“We didn’t get burned.” 

“You just drank the _entire_ cup of tea!” 

“Oh.” 

Abruptly, Gemerl stands from his place at the table, a couple of the cups tipping over and spilling. Before Vanilla can reprimand the gizoid, he turns toward the tree line. “SOMETHING HAS ENTERED THE PERIMETER,” the robot announces.

Paradox hops to his feet. “Tails?” The teenager inquires excitedly, his embarrassment momentarily forgotten. He couldn’t wait to show Tails he could walk on his own now; the fox would have one less thing to worry about.

“NEGATIVE. I AM DETECTING MULTIPLE SIGNATURES.”

 _“Multiple?”_ Vanilla repeats, now standing up as well. “What do you—” she begins, before an interruption knocks the air from her lungs.

Without warning, Gemerl scoops Cream into his arms, saving her from injury as the table unexpectedly explodes. The gizoid leaps high into the air, landing a few feet away from the wreckage. Cheese and Chocola hover behind them, having escaped as well. Her initial shock wearing off, Cream pushes out of Gemerl’s arms, screaming frantically for her mother. 

_“Mother? Mother!”_

_“I’m here!”_

Cream snaps her eyes to the side, spotting Paradox gently lowering Vanilla to the ground. The bunny races over to her mother, throwing her arms around her. Cheese and Chocola swiftly join the two rabbits as Paradox and Gemerl move in front of the others, their postures defensive. The group watches with wide eyes as Egg Pawns, Egg Fighters, and Buzz Bombers begin pouring out from the trees and bushes. 

Gloved hands curl into fists as Paradox bares his teeth. “Eggman…”

Cream hides behind her mother, gripping the woman’s skirt. “Wh-Why are they here?” She squeaks, trembling. “What do they want?”

“THE CHAOS EMERALD,” Gemerl answers.

“But we don’t have it anymore!”

Paradox glares at the overhead Buzz Bombers. “They don’t know that.”

Eventually, the robots’ ever-increasing numbers cease. At least thirty badniks surround the Rabbits’ residence, each of them programmed to locate and retrieve the emerald by any means necessary. 

Out of the corner of his vision, Paradox sees metal sliding back as Gemerl readies his missiles to fire. Narrowed eyes flash red, green, and yellow before splitting evenly between the three. Without taking his focus off his opponents, Paradox carefully removes his flower crown and hands it to Cheese. The hedgehog throws an arm out in front of Gemerl, his quills bristled.

“Gemerl, _take them inside. I’ll_ handle this.”

With a startling steadiness and poise, Paradox strides toward the horde of badniks. Gemerl stares at the fusion for a moment before swiftly but safely ushering the Rabbit family inside their home.

Paradox smugly rolls his shoulders, eyes switching to green. “Man, I’m feeling a bit out of practice.” He lowers into a familiar running stance, smirk spreading across his muzzle. “You guys mind helping me warm-up?”

“Ready to see what this body can do?”  Sonic inquires, glancing over to Silver and Shadow. The two hedgehogs nod, a dangerous glint in their eyes. At their approval, the blue speedster rubs his hands together, and slams the button on the control console down with full force. 

In a flash of blue, red, and yellow, Paradox surges forward, straight into the throng of badniks. He darts through the crowd, narrowly avoiding swinging metal fists and lasers. 

But despite the fusion's speed, the attacks end up coming a little too close for comfort. Sonic hisses on the other side of the glass, applying more pressure to the button.

“Ugh, why am I… It’s these _shoes!”_

“What, are they too heavy for you?” 

_“Sh-Shut up!”_

Caught up in his thoughts, Paradox barely manages to dodge the blade of one of the Egg Fighters. The electricity from the weapon makes the hedgehog’s fur stand on end, and he grimaces. 

“Alright, enough of this!” He declares, looping around to the largest concentration of enemies. Side-stepping out of the path of lasers, Paradox builds up speed before leaping into the air. Immediately, he drops back down and rolls forward at a blistering speed. A living wrecking ball of destruction, he tears through the middle of the horde, leaving a line of broken metal in his wake. Like a hot knife through butter, the robotic bodies twist and cave under the intense heat and energy of the spin dash, the common badniks unprepared for such power. All except for one fortunate Egg Fighter who happens to be equipped with an electrified barrier. As luck would have it, Paradox has the pleasure of getting an up-close and personal look at the shield. With a yelp, he is thrown back, body still flickering with electricity. His vision ebbs in and out of focus, a hand gripping at his head. Shapes march towards him, and he struggles to stand. In the mindscape, lightning erupts from the control console, the energy searching for a target. As the one closest, Sonic gets the full brunt of the attack, his body going rigid before dropping to the ground like a stone. Shadow and Silver get electrified as well, but not nearly to the same extent. The two hedgehogs manage to stumble back up to their feet as Sonic remains unmoving. 

Yellow eyes widen upon seeing the silhouettes on the screen.

_ “Look out!”  _

Before Shadow can react, Silver rushes towards the pedestal and presses the button. The advancing badniks are suddenly enveloped in a cyan light, completely frozen. 

“I got this!” The time traveler exclaims, now in the driver’s seat. Mustering as much strength as he can, he spreads his psychic power throughout the garden, immobilizing as many robots as he can. As Silver attempts to capture all of their foes, Shadow drags Sonic to the side, setting him into a sitting position with his back against one of the clouds. The red-colored hedgehog studies his doppelgänger for a moment before peering over to the screen.

Grunting, Paradox stands up and raises both arms, his illuminated palms facing the sky. The glowing badniks are hoisted into the air like a twisted display of balloons. Gritting his teeth, the fusion brings his palms towards each other, clasping his hands together. The screech of metal fills the air as the robots are squished and compacted together into a giant sphere. With a shout, Paradox hurls the sphere into the sky, where it disappears with a twinkle of light. It is only after the danger is gone that blue arms immediately drop down, the fusion attempting to catch his breath. On the other side of the glass, Silver appears even more exhausted, spent after expending so much energy. In the midst of his weary daze, the time traveler finds himself shoved to the side as Shadow suddenly reaches for the button. Gold energy crackles on gloved fingers before being fired off to the right. Paradox turns his head just in time to see the charred remains of a Buzz Bomber land in the grass. 

The Ultimate Life Form steps back from the console, glancing over at the younger hedgehog.  “You missed one,” he remarks, as if it is the most casual thing in the world.

Silver simply gapes, too flabbergasted to respond. Shadow gives a quiet, amused snort before walking back over to Sonic. The red-colored hedgehog frowns upon noticing his rival’s still unconscious state. “Hey, Faker,” he utters, nudging a blue shoulder. Red eyes narrow when there is no response. _“Wake up,”_ Shadow tries again, using more force this time.

Silence.

_“Sonic.”_

Nothing. The alien hybrid hesitates, ears flattening slightly. 

“Is he—“  Silver inquires anxiously, stepping away from the console. 

Shadow raises his free hand.  “Watch the screen, Silver,”  he orders. 

“But—“ 

“The _screen._ It should _not_ be left unattended. Go check on the others.” 

With a pout, Silver complies with the instruction. Shadow observes him for a moment before returning his attention to Sonic. His frown deepens as time ticks by. The sky seems darker. Growing increasingly frustrated, the older hedgehog raises an arm and backhands his double across his face.  “Damn it, _wake up,_ idiot!”  He growls. _That_ wakes Sonic up. 

_“Ow! What did you do that for?!”_ The blue speedster shouts, rubbing his injured cheek. 

Shadow lowers his hand.  “I was getting impatient.” 

“You didn’t have to slap me!” 

“You wouldn’t wake up.” 

“There are other ways to—” 

“Please stop arguing, _”_ Silver interjects. The tired look on his face softens. “Are you okay, Sonic?”

The hedgehog in question gets to his feet, a pained grimace temporarily flashing on his face.  “Yeah.”  Stretching his arms, he joins the time traveler at the pedestal. On the screen is the Rabbit family, unharmed with clear gratitude on their faces. Sonic smiles, visibly relieved. The sky seems lighter. A second later, he reaches up towards his head and turns to Silver.  “How bad are my quills?” 

The younger teen blinks.  “Um…” 

“That bad, huh?”  Sonic grins half-heartedly, attempting to fix his disheveled quills.

“Well…” 

Shadow lets out a _hmph_ as he strolls over to the others.  “You look like a mess.” 

“Well, gee, thanks, Shadow!” 

“Shut up.” 

“Mister Paradox? Are you alright?”

Tri-colored irises blink. The fusion’s focus snaps down to see Cream quickly waving one of her hands. _Again? “Oh!_ Yeah, I’m fine. Just zoned for a bit. Why, what’s up?”

“Tails is outside.”

“Oh, that’s nice.”

Wait…

_“Tails is OUTSIDE?”_

In an instant, Paradox bolts back outside, eyes widening upon seeing familiar white and yellow fur. In his haste, he nearly trips over his own feet. However, this time, the hedgehog manages to stay upright, a cheerful grin on his face. _“Tails, Tails, Tails!”_ He exclaims, positively beaming. “I gotta show you something _awesome!”_

* * *

Deep underground, in a hidden bunker, artificial lights illuminate a large room. Two small robots, one red and one yellow, type at glowing red buttons, servos whirling noiselessly. A large ellipsoid screen is stretched across one ivory wall. It is on this screen that shaded eyes scrutinize. Badniks dart across the picture, arms and weapons swinging towards a blue figure that weaves between them. Eyes narrow as a finger jabs against a touchscreen. Immediately, the video pauses before jumping to a later point. The blue figure now stands still off to the side, glimmering hands thrust skyward. A massive sphere of metal looms above, engulfed in an aura of cyan energy. Just as the figure winds his arms back in a throwing position, the image stops again. When it picks up this time, the figure is hunched over, panting heavily. The hum of a laser priming fills the air as the target is centered in the crosshairs. But just as the Buzz Bomber is about to land a direct hit, a gloved hand flares with chaos energy. Gold light floods the screen before everything goes dark. 

A snarl reverberates off the walls of the room as a fist slams down on a metal console. Immediately, the two robots freeze, optics snapping to their creator. The human’s chest rapidly falls and rises, teeth grinding against each other. For one minute, the only sound in the room are ragged breaths. But then, slowly, the breaths are replaced by a new sound. It starts small, like a lit matchstick, before erupting into an inferno. Deranged laughter echoes as a gloved finger rewinds the video. 

Lips twist upward in a wicked grin as gears begin to turn. One rather odd theory scratches at his mind but it requires more evidence first. With several keystrokes, he mobilizes a select group of badniks: miniaturized Buzz Bombers outfitted with high-definition cameras and chaos energy sensors. While most of them join the other squadrons in their search for Chaos Emeralds, a few of them split off and fly noiselessly towards the Mystic Ruins. Satisfied, the chessmaster peers back up at the ellipsoid screen. The blue figure stands in the center, red stripes and glowing palms clear as day. 

Gloved fingers comb through a mustache as a new game is set. 

“Well, well, well. I do appreciate a wild card.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "And here we see the rare and elusive 'Competent Paradox'. He only appears once every full moon." 
> 
> In all seriousness, we are so glad to finally show off what this crazy starfish can do when his brain cell actually works. If you've played Sonic Generations, the technique that Silver does in this chapter should be familiar. And yes, Paradox does the Drop Dash in this chapter. Though it doesn't really work out for him. He's trying his best.
> 
> We figured that Shadow's air shoes/hover shoes/rocket-skates/whatever SEGA is calling them now are heavier than your average shoes. Ergo, Paradox's hover-boots have a similar weight. So that's why Sonic complains about them. Shoes mean a LOT to a runner, especially when you're used to a particular kind.
> 
> The underlined dialogue are the conversations between the boys that aren't spoken aloud. It's their internal discourse. 
> 
> Writing this chapter was literally: "Let's see how many times we can make Paradox blush." Similarly, you have to remember that for all their bravado and power, Sonic, Shadow, and Silver are all still teenage boys (yes, we know Shadow is technically over 50 years old, but he's biologically a teen in his edgy phase). So exploring that aspect was REALLY fun.
> 
> As usual, the lovely illustrations were done by TharkFlark1 and SmallPwbbles. Special thanks to them for letting me use their OC's Sen the Ferret and Limba the Okapi. Shoutout to the Pocket Hog discord!
> 
> We got something a little different for you all this time! If you haven't already read it, "A perfectly normal with Paradox and Tails" takes place after this chapter. Yep, that little mini-fic is canon to this story. Please read it! There's, uh, a little something that you should know about before going into chapter 5. You'll be confused if you don't.
> 
> There will likely be a larger gap of time between this chapter and the next. Please bear with us.
> 
> Leave your comments and questions below please!


	5. Moonlit Memory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *slides in on hover skates*
> 
> Hello! If you haven't read _A perfectly normal day with Paradox and Tails _yet, please do. Or else you will be Paradox-level confused. Okay, carry on! Have a nice day!__
> 
> _  
> _*slides away*_  
> _

With the previous emerald a bust, Tails switches gears to pursue a different one. The fox had thought it would be a safer and easier grab-n-go, but alas, the universe has it out for him. 

Evil intentions and death traps notwithstanding, there was a strange sort of appeal to Eggman’s bases. Don’t misunderstand him, Tails wanted to see the nefarious doctor defeated. But as a fellow genius—ugh, what a _horrible_ thought—the young fox was always interested to see what sort of inventions and playgrounds the villain had cooked up for then this time. At any rate, the neon color palette was always crazy to look at. Subtlety is _not_ one of Eggman’s skills. 

Maybe that’s why Tails feels more uneasy trekking through these dim corridors. Broken wires sag from the ceiling, metal panels pushed back or missing entirely. The wreckage of mangled badniks lines the hall, some of them still bearing intact optics. Darkened orbs seem to stare hollowly ahead. 

Tails swallows. It’s just another one of Eggman’s bases. He’s even been to this one before on his own when Sonic was… 

Never mind. All the robots have been destroyed. It’s fine. A-And he’s got Paradox with him, he’s not alone this time. 

“Tails? Are you okay?”

Yellow ears hike up. _“Oh!_ Yeah, I’m fine. Just got a lot on my mind.” Tails pauses briefly, giving his brother a small smile. “Let’s just hurry and find the emerald so we can head back home.” Without giving the fusion a chance to respond, the kit matches forward. Colors swirl in Paradox’s eyes before settling on green. Frowning, the hedgehog follows after. His ears flick back slightly. 

“What’s wrong, Sonic?” 

“Tails is hiding something.” 

“That much is obvious.” 

“Should we ask again?” 

“...No. Tails will tell us when he’s comfortable. The sooner we find the emerald, the sooner we can ask him.” 

“So… Do you think it’s just a coincidence that one of the emeralds is here or is Eggman collecting them too?”

Tails glances up from his scanner. “As much as I hope it’s the first, it’s probably the second one. Though it is weird that he wouldn’t have set up any defenses.”

Hardly ten seconds after the fox utters those words, the clang of metal echoes down the hallway. Immediately, the two brothers freeze. 

“You _definitely_ jinxed that.”

“I didn’t mean t— _Whoa!”_

Tails’s eyes widen as Paradox unexpectedly yanks him to the side. The fox gasps as he is pushed against the wall. Quickly re-orienting himself, the kit’s attention darts down the hall where Egg Fighters have suddenly appeared. Paradox narrows his eyes, red overtaking green. In less than a millisecond, chaos spears fly through the air, each one striking true. As explosions illuminate the darkness, the fusion snatches his brother’s hand and runs back the way they came. 

_“W-Why are we running away?”_ Tails gasps. 

“Shadow, what are you _doing?_ We can easily beat those guys!” 

“We still don’t know how this body completely works. Or did you forget about the incident at the cave? I’m not risking it while the fox is h…” 

Shadow trails off, gaze locking on the screen. Next to him, Sonic and Silver do the same. 

All down the hallway, metal panels hiss and slide back. A hundred surveillance cameras emerge from the walls, before rotating in unison towards Paradox and Tails. Ice drops into the fusion’s stomach. 

Somewhere, a memory forcibly wretches itself out of its decades-old vault. Eyes shrink to pinpoints as red dots crawl across the floor towards the two brothers. 

_“N-No…”_

“Sha—“ 

Before Sonic can finish, Shadow slams down on the console. In an instant, Paradox grabs Tails, using his body as a living shield. 

Several people scream as weapons fire. A shrill scream pierces the air as white light explodes outward like a blooming flower. About a second later, a thud echoes through the corridor as something hits the ceiling. Hands reflexively fly up to rub the impacted spot before freezing. 

“Well…” Paradox grimaces, staring at _two_ left arms. He glances over the rest of his body and his frown deepens. _“Shit. LANGUAGE!”_

The Ultimate Life Form whirls upon Sonic, growling at him. Before the situation can escalate, the hum of laser priming seizes everyone’s attention. Baring his teeth, Paradox lifts four hands, glowing with blue, yellow, and red light. Throwing all of his arms forward, he conjures a hurricane of psychic and chaos energy and launches it forward. It lays waste to everything in its path, ripping through reinforced steel like paper. The turrets destroyed, the multi-armed fusion looks down at his very _little_ brother holding the crushed remains of a scanner. Paradox kneels down, not wanting to hit his head on the ceiling again. 

“Sorry about your—“

 _“Are you okay, Paradox?!”_ Tails shouts, anxiety overflowing from his voice. The hedgehog in question pauses, not at all expecting such an action. 

“Uh, _yes?”_

_“Are you sure? You got hit by like a hundred lasers!”_

“I’m _fine!_ It didn’t even _hurt!”_

The fox scrutinizes his brother, searching for anything to the contrary. It is only when nothing turns up that he relaxes. Paradox takes the opportunity to inquire about the kit’s own health. 

“What about you? Did _you_ get hurt?”

“No. I just got a little shaken up with all of the surprises. I, uh, _wasn’t_ expecting _this_ again.” 

Tails gestures to Paradox with one hand, causing the fusion to sigh deeply in annoyance. It took them _hours_ to change back last time, how long are they going to be stuck like this now? A groan escapes from the hedgehog’s lips, his ears flattened. Turning to the side, he lightly bangs his head against the wall before just keeping it pressed against the surface. A muffled chorus of “Stupid, stupid, stupid” is heard. Tails bites his lip, putting away his broken radar. “Well…” he starts, a tiny smile on his face. “Look on the bright side. Now you can just _step_ on the robots.”

Blue ears raise at the fox’s statements. Slowly, Paradox pulls away from the wall and looks down at Tails. The larger pair of eyes blink. Then the smaller ones. And then an evil grin stretches across the giant’s muzzle. Two sets of hands crack their knuckles. 

“Oh, _wonderful. I’ve been meaning to get back at him for that electric shield trick.”_

Eyes glowing, the fusion scoops up Tails and sets him down on his shoulder. _“Hold on,”_ he instructs. 

“Wait, wh—“

The fox gasps sharply, barely managing to grab onto blue fur before Paradox abruptly pivots and accelerates forward. Straight into a horde of robots. The fusion’s smile broadens, fangs visible. Cyan energy ripples on his hands. Tails tightens his grip as Paradox throws his hands up. His already pinpoint pupils shrink even further when a whole crowd of badniks is compacted into a ball and tossed aside. The compressed metal lands with a deafening bang. Yet Paradox doesn’t even flinch, already attacking the next group of enemies. 

_“P-Paradox! You have to—S-Slow down!”_

_“NEVER!”_

_“PARA—AAAH!”_

* * *

Two eyes tear away from a screen as massive fists decimate yet another squadron. A snarl reverberates through the large room. 

_“Paradox, calm down!”_ A high-pitched voice comes through the speakers, trying to be heard above gleeful laughter. 

_Paradox,_ the name repeats in Eggman’s mind. What an appropriate name for increasingly infuriating mystery. Searching for the blue pincushion had ended in failure, and Eggman had been ecstatic that perhaps one of his plans had finally succeeded in wiping the hedgehog from the face of the planet. And with Shadow and Silver missing as well, he might have killed three birds with one stone. But the universe is a cruel one.

Every time he thinks he’s figured him out, the new rodent does something _completely_ unexpected. Like suddenly tripling in size and gaining an extra set of arms. That doesn’t make any _sense!_ No amount of spy cams could have prepared him for a gigantic ten foot tall hedgehog hellbent on making sure his creations were nothing but scrap.

Sonic’s annoying, little friend screams, clinging on for dear life. In any other situation, Eggman would relish the opportunity to watch the child suffer but now it only perplexes him more. Why is the fox tagging along with _this_ rodent? Then that would mean Paradox _was_ Sonic, but that just perplexes the scientist more. And even if this rodent _is_ Sonic, then why does he call him Paradox? 

_“Guys!”_

Unless that one odd theory of his is actually—

_“Sonic! Shadow! Silver!”_

With those three words, Eggman freezes. “Wait, _WHAT?!”_ The villain does a double-take, blinking at the screen. He quickly scans the screens for any other irritating rodents in the building. _Nothing._ Not a flicker of blue, black, or white quills anywhere that didn’t belong to Paradox. The oversized hedgehog is in the midst of stomping and squashing a horde of Egg Fighters like insects.

Eggman reclines back into his seat, hands steepled together. This was a possibility but he _never_ expected it to be true! 

And yet, it explains everything about the rodent. His abilities. The fact that he—to use layman’s terms—is the _weirdest_ looking hedgehog he’s ever seen, not even considering the whole extra limbs situation. Why the fox is with him. And, Eggman realizes with equal parts terror and wonder, why his level of chaos energy is comparable to that of an emerald. So caught up in this revelation, the human momentarily forgets about the screen. When he does remember, it’s already too late. The screech of ripped metal fills the air, causing the human to flinch. Without warning, the wall abruptly crashes down. Eggman hastily avoids getting crushed, but the sudden movement jerks the Egg Mobile. It tips over, sending the doctor falling to the ground with a scream. A red-colored gemstone clatters across the floor. 

“The _emerald!”_ Tails exclaims, leaping off Paradox’s shoulder. With an excited grin, he quickly snatches up the gem. “I’ve got it! Paradox, let’s…”

The kit pauses, gazing upward. He follows Paradox’s line of sight to see a familiar figure on the ground. _“Eggman?”_ Tails asks incredulously, his voice the only sound in the chamber. His eyes glance back towards blue quills to see an unexpected sight. _"Paradox?"_

Somewhere in the distance, a frigid wind suddenly rushes by. The clouds freeze, turning denser and darker. Sonic stares intensely at the screen, eerily quiet. His hands rest on the button, the console still glowing. Normally vibrant green irises seem dimmer and colder. 

_“Sonic?”_ Silver whispers, shivering slightly.  “Are you _okay?”_

_“Well, well, well…”_ Sonic begins, a smirk on his face. On the other side of the glass, Paradox repeats the words. He stands confidently, almost _smugly,_ in front of Eggman. One of his hands is placed on his hip, his posture strangely casual. “Look at _this,_ Eggy. We _always_ end up in this situation, no matter what.”

Two hedgehogs blink.  “Faker, what are you…”  Shadow steps towards his rival. _Something_ crashes into his mind, like an avalanche. His body feels numb and disconnected. _Painful._ What’s causing this pain? And the answer slams into him with the force of a freight train. Blood red snaps towards the screen. 

“Shadow?”  Silver asks, placing a hand on the older hedgehog’s shoulder.  “What’s…”  he starts, before gasping. The same wave of ice drowns him. 

Eggman backs into the wall, panic oozing from his voice and body language. “Yes, well, you and your fox friend are welcome to lea—“

Words die in the human’s throat as cyan light suddenly engulfs his entire body. Paradox lifts Eggman into the air, dragging the villain directly in front of him. “Wow, check _you_ out giving me a _choice_ this time! I can remember when _none_ of us got a choice, when you took over, _hurt_ our _friends…”_

 _“Guys?”_ A little boy whispers, watching in horror. But the three teenagers do not hear, buried under the weight of the past. 

There’s an odd echoing quality to Paradox’s voice, like a loud, distorted microphone. “When you had me locked up for _six months.”_ Gold electricity sparks on a palm. A murderous, fanged grin hangs below four glowing eyes. “This time,” the fusion growls, and lightning darkens to a dangerous, wild red. _“I’m not gonna let you have the CHOICE.”_

__

Heart pounding, Tails darts in between Eggman and Paradox. _“GUYS!_ Paradox, that’s _enough!_ Y-You’re _scaring me.”_

In an instant, cyan energy disappears. Eggman lands on the floor in an ungraceful heap. Meanwhile, a large hand clasps over the wrist of another. Red flickers into nothingness as the spell breaks. 

_“T-Tails, I…”_

The kit swallows. “We got what we needed, okay? We didn’t… We didn’t come for _this._ Let’s… Let’s go home, alright?”

Paradox stares at Eggman. Then the fallen Egg Mobile. Then the broken wall. And finally his little brother. The fusion inhales sharply before managing a nod. 

With a lowered head, the fusion walks out of the room. His heavy steps are like drum beats through the base, shards of metal crunching under his feet. 

_“ I shouldn’t have… I’m so sorry! Oh Chaos, are you two okay?!” _

“We’re _fine._ It’s gonna be o—“ 

_“It is NOT okay! Chaos, how could we do this?! How could I do THIS?! How I could I—“_

Eyes watering, Sonic dashes away from the others. He races away from the pedestal, a streak of blue across the dark clouds. Silver’s body glows cyan as he prepares to chase after Sonic, but a hand grabs his shoulder. The time traveler stops, visibly confused. Shadow shakes his head, a solemn look on his face. 

There’s a shimmer of white in the distance, like a ripple on the water. And then in a flash of light, Sonic suddenly reappears beside the console. He blinks, quills bristled. 

_“Wha…? How did I…?”_ Sonic whispers, gaze darting around. Anxious green eyes connect with worried yellow eyes. Silver steps towards the blue speedster. But less than a millisecond after he reaches forward, Sonic runs off again. And in an exact repeat of what happened earlier, the blue hedgehog is forcibly teleported back to the main hub. Yet again, Sonic bolts away. And yet again, he is pulled back. 

_“Sonic…”_

_“Get away from me!”_

_“—dox?”_

A head snaps up. _“Y-Yeah?”_

Twin tails swish anxiously. “Do you think you can try changing back?” Tails gestures to the Tornado, letting the rest go unsaid. 

Paradox blinks before glancing down at his four hands. At once, the memory of red and cyan superimposes itself on reality. His eyes screw shut as three minds come to grips with what they did and almost did. They fight to force it away, force this form away, but it remains. Exposed like a raw, ugly nerve. 

_He deserved—N-No! He imprisoned you for SIX MONTHS! That doesn’t mean—OUR LITTLE BROTHER WAS THERE!_

Breath quickening, Paradox suddenly bolts into the forest, away from his brother. The ground shakes with each step, a reminder of what he’s desperately trying to forget. Tails shouts a name—then three—before scurrying into the Tornado. Within seconds, the plane is airborne, following a streak of blue, red, and yellow. 

* * *

By the time he finds Paradox, the first stars have emerged from the night sky.

It’s funny. He’s searched everywhere else. But it never occurred to him that someone who could travel to any place on the planet would have come back here. 

Quietly, Tails parks the Tornado-1 in the hangar, instead electing to walk the remainder of the distance. His footfalls are silent as he ascends the hill, the fox mindful to not make noise. Eventually, he comes to a stop, attention focusing on the figure near the edge of the cliff. Paradox is curled inward, one set of arms pulled around his legs and the other sprawled out on the ground. He still hasn’t changed back yet?

Tails draws in a breath, the cold night air filling his lungs. The last steps are slow and hesitant, like he’s walking on a rope bridge that could break at any moment. _“Paradox?”_ He begins, voice trembling. The fusion flinches ever so slightly, and Tails feels something break in his chest. “You have to talk to me. _Please.”_

__

For one, endless moment, there is silence. Only the chirping of crickets fills the air, their nocturnal chorus echoing across the hill. Tails’s mouth opens and closes, the kit debating on whether or not to repeat himself. The grass rustles as he steps towards the fusion. Just as the fox is right next to the hedgehog, a quiet voice causes him to stop short.

“Do you remember this place? ...It’s where you and Sonic would stay up at night and find constellations when you were so much smaller.” 

Two sentences. Paradox speaks two little sentences. And yet, Tails feels as if he’s heard a sonnet. His breath hitches, and his throat has unexpectedly gone dry. Somewhere, the image of a little boy dances in someone’s mind.

Paradox draws in a breath and continues. "You would stay up past your bedtime, trying to find every single one. But you always ended up falling asleep before you could do it, and Sonic would have to tuck you into bed. Sometimes you would wake up and shout that you needed to keep going, you weren’t tired, you could do it. But then your brother would simply swaddle you up more in the blanket. You’d make this little pouty face, and ask if you could at least have a bedtime story. You were so _happy_ when he said yes. He’d sit on the bed and you’d snuggle close as he told another crazy story. You would hang on every single word as if they were the most wonderful song you’d ever heard. And then you’d smile, looking up at your big brother as if he was the brightest star in the sky."

A large hand lowers to the ground, curling into the grass as if grasping, before getting drawn back. There’s a shaky inhale as empty eyes stare blankly ahead.

 _“That little kid…”_ Paradox whispers, a deep, ancient sigh tumbling from his lips. “What would he think of me _now?”_

__

Baby blue eyes glance up and then down, fingers quivering. Seconds crawl by like hours as million memories and plans and facades rush by. But all of them are cast aside as the veil is torn away. Yellow-orange fur shifts as legs bend into a kneeling position. There’s a quiet thump and Paradox freezes.

 _“Well…”_ Tails utters softly, arms tightening around one of his brother’s massive wrists. _“I think you’re pretty great.”_

__

A single phrase is all it takes for the walls to come crumbling down. Water pools in four eyes as emotions overflow like a spring. Paradox shudders, sniffling as a face nuzzles against his arm. The chorus of crickets fades into the background. A mouth sucks in a hasty breath.

There’s a beat. A suspension. And then slowly, blue fur and quills begin to glow. Tails gasps quietly, drawing his arms back as the fusion’s entire being is enveloped in a white aura. With a flash of light, the shimmering silhouette dissolves into smoke, revealing a now much smaller Paradox. The hedgehog releases a heavy breath, exhaustion gripping every cell of his body. A weary but sincere smile forms on his tired face as he steps towards Tails. Blue arms curl around yellow-orange fur as Paradox pulls his brother close.

 _“Thank you,”_ he utters, tears sliding down his muzzle. _“Thank you so much.”_

Tails returns the embrace in full. _“N-No problem.”_

Gradually, the two siblings sink into the grass, settling into a comfortable sitting position. The younger of the two leans against the older, his blue eyes gazing skyward. A million stars fill a black canvas as crickets sing a lullaby. 

It’s _beautiful._

“Tired?” Paradox inquires, a playful color to his voice. 

At once, eyelids fly up. _“No.”_

“You _sure_ about that?”

“Yes, I’m…” 

The fox’s response is interrupted by a yawn. He swiftly throws a glare at his brother. _“Don’t you dare.”_

Paradox grins innocently. “I didn’t say anything.”

“You _wanted_ to.”

“Yeah, that’s, that’s true.”

With a groan, Tails shoves Paradox, pushing him into the grass. The hedgehog chuckles, sitting back up. Colors swirl in his irises, ultimately ending in a loving green. He slides back over to Tails’s side, and wordlessly drapes an arm around him. Tenderly, he reaches up with his other hand and rubs behind Tails’s ears. The kit narrows his eyes at him for a moment before another yawn escapes from his lips. This time, he sighs, visibly annoyed. 

“I know what you’re doing.”

“Oh? And what would that be?”

“Just… give me five minutes. Wake me up, okay?”

“Of course.” 

Snuggling into the fusion’s side, Tails closes his eyes. The sound of the fusion’s steady heartbeat quickly lulls the child to sleep. Paradox smiles softly, gazing at his brother before looking to the sky. His hand traces light circles on the kit’s back as he sings as an old song. 

_“Leaves from the vine… Falling so slow… Like fragile, tiny shells… Drifting in the foam… Little soldier boy… Come marching home… Brave soldier boy… Comes marching home…”_

One minute ticks by. Then five. Then ten. The sound of quiet snoring fills the air. 

Multi-colored irises glance down towards Tails. A smile widens. Mindful not to wake him, Paradox scoops up the sleeping child and stands up. Slowly, he descends down the hill towards the workshop. His enhanced vision easily guides him through the darkened building. After putting away their shoes, he carries Tails to a familiar room. Gently, Paradox tucks the fox into bed. He pulls the blanket up, stopping just below the child’s chin. Just like he used to do. 

“Good night, little bro,” he whispers before silently slipping out of the bedroom. The door clicks shut. 

Drawing in a breath, Paradox continues down the hall and enters another room. He curls up under the sheets, cuddling a white pillow. Within minutes, he’s fast asleep, the image of colorful clouds floating by lazily in his mind. 

* * *

A finger taps on the rewind button for the fifth time. As with the past four times, the same footage plays. Blue quills speed across a garden, dodging and attacking Buzz Bombers, Egg Fighters, and Egg Pawns. There’s a moment where the hero is shocked and unconscious before snapping awake, palms shining cyan. In less than ten seconds, the entire army is captured and demolished. The lone survivor of the mass execution is dispatched with a precisely aimed spear. 

Eggman leans back in his chair, visibly stupefied… and _afraid._ The raw, destructive _potential_ that this fusion—a _fusion_ —possesses. And his _abilities._ Clear proficiency with chaos powers and psychokinesis. Can travel at high speeds with strong evidence for the ability to break the sound barrier. Razor sharp quills. 

If not for the fox’s intervention, Eggman swallows, things would have ended _very_ differently. He draws in a breath, glancing back at the paused video. The screen displays Paradox hurling a chaos spear, a scowl on his muzzle.

The human twirls part of his mustache, wheels turning in his head.

For most people, the first course of action would be to remove the threat as soon as possible. But Eggman is _not_ like most people. 

A grin stretches across the good doctor’s face. 

“Perhaps this wild card could be _useful…”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... how 'bout that angst, huh?
> 
> Lots of illustrations for you all this time, courtesy of the always talented SmallPwbbles and TharkFlark1. Thank you guys! If you've been following our starfish disaster for a while, you might recognize some of these comic panels. You can find the full comic (the one where Paradox nearly, um... yes) here: https://smallpwbbles.tumblr.com/post/620927790464843776/this-took-too-long-im-going-to-fight-you-behind
> 
> We've got two big cross fandom references in this chapter. First one is to Steven Universe, specifically the episode "Rose's Scabbard". Second one is to the song "Leaves From the Vine" from Avatar: The Last Airbender. Yes, we cried, and no, we don't regret it.
> 
> Shout-out to the discord space hogs! See you next chapter!


	6. Integration

The morning sun illuminates the Mystic Ruins. Breathing in the fresh air, Tails walks amidst the ancient structures, blue eyes scanning their surroundings. _Somehow,_ he’s gotten separated from his brother. In most cases, this wouldn’t be an issue: Sonic knows the ruins well. But this is _not_ most cases. Shaking his head, the fox cups his hands around his mouth and calls out as loud as he can.

_“PARADOX! Where are you?”_

When his only response is his own voice echoing back at him, Tails frowns. _What did he get into NOW?_ Sighing, the kit continues his search. He heads back towards one of the more intact buildings, hoping that maybe the absent-minded fusion is inside. Tails takes a total of thirteen steps when something makes him stop. He blinks, his fur standing on end.

Everything is suddenly darker. Like it’s the middle of the night. Isn’t it daytime?

Tension rising, the fox slowly turns around. The dark of night surrounds him, the once familiar setting suddenly foreboding and unknown. He swallows… and quickly realizes that he isn’t alone. A giant, shaded silhouette looms a few paces in front of him, a pair of large, white eyes. 

_“Dox?”_ Tails hazards, voice suddenly tight. Why is he so nervous all of a sudden, this is his brother, he would _never_ hurt him. But what about what just happened at the abandoned base? _“Paradox?”_

A moment after the kit speaks, the silhouette moves. It stretches upward, as if it has been crouched down this whole time. Tails backs away, his heart pounding at a furious tempo. His petrified face reflects in three pairs of empty, glowing eyes. Time stands still. And then a bone-chilling, discordant roar shakes reality itself. 

Tails bolts awake with a start, lungs gasping for air. Immediately, tiny pupils dart around in a panic. An eternity stretches by in a handful of seconds as gradually recognition sets in. On the wall, a clock marks four in the morning. Paradox must have brought him to bed after he passed out.

 _“Just a dream,”_ the fox whispers. _“It was just a dream.”_

Hesitantly, Tails draws in a breath. His throat is parched. _What the heck was that about? Sure, Dox was pretty scary yesterday with the “almost killing Eggman in cold blood” thing, but…_ The fox pushes the thought away, not entirely sure he wants to remember whatever his stressed out mind concocted about his brother. He lies in bed for several moments more, sleep evading him, before sighing and tossing the covers aside. _I might as well grab some water_. Sock-clad feet make no noise as they descend down the stairs, the fox’s night vision easily allowing him to see. Yellow-orange ears perk up as a clicking noise reaches them. There’s the sound of something swinging as dim light spills from the kitchen. 

_“Paradox?”_

The fusion in question lets out a scared squeak as he flinches. In his shock, his head collides with one of the shelves in the refrigerator. He rubs his head for a moment before abruptly stopping. Like a deer caught in the headlights.

Tails lets out a heavy sigh. He’s discovered Paradox creeping around in the kitchen at night more times that he should. And don’t even get him started on the whipped cream and hot sauce chili dogs. Grabbing a cup, the kit heads to the fridge. The second he starts to approach, Paradox swiftly turns around with shrunken pupils. 

_“H-Hi, Tails!”_ He stammers, pitch comically high. 

_“Hi,”_ Tails replies, his tone dry enough to kindle a fire. He levels an annoyed glare at his brother, wordlessly instructing him to _move out of the way of the fridge so I can get some water and go back to bed, it’s FOUR in the morning._

As usual, Paradox doesn’t really get social cues. Tails huffs.

“Would you _get_ out of the way so I can get a glass of water?” He groans, too tired to bother with the word please. It is simultaneously both too early and too late for this.

Paradox stares at him with evenly split irises: yellow, red, and green sharing the space equally. Tails resists the urge to sigh again. He repeats the fusion’s name, growing increasingly irritated. You three are _all awake, stop playing around._ This time, his brother finally responds. His eyes give a single, slow blink. 

_“I didn’t see you there,”_ he states, voice oddly clipped.

 _“Paradox._ The _fridge.”_

Another blink. _“O-Oh!_ I’m sorry!” Paradox shuffles aside stiffly, as if he doesn’t know how legs work. He stands to the side with his hands behind his back, silently observing the fox fill up and drink his glass of water. The cold water sends a chill down the fox’s throat and he realizes that unfortunately, he is not going to be able to fall back asleep. With a resigned sigh, he glances at the hedgehog, his mind a little more alert. Tails stops.

Paradox, when he isn’t spaced out, is a being constantly in motion. He’s never just _standing:_ his ears are flicking, his heels rock back and forth, and his hands are fiddling with his quills or gloves. The fusion is always moving in some way, the personalities and quirks of his components shining through.

So when Tails finds Paradox standing completely still, like a living statue, he assumes that he’s zoned out again. But then the kit looks at the fusion’s eyes, and finds that they are still evenly split and vibrant. Glowing, tri-colored irises study him, the gaze attentive and yet detached. Unemotional. Robotic. There’s a small smile on his face that _burns_ with artificiality. The light from the fridge creates a halo of cold white around him.

A shiver runs down Tails’s spine. He finishes the last of the water, hoping that it will maybe wash away the lump in his throat. 

“Paradox, are you _okay?”_ The fox inquires quietly. He suddenly notices that Paradox has his boots on. _Why?_

There’s a beat before the hedgehog answers. Tails hopes that it’s maybe because the three are arguing and not some other reason. But the colors remain equally split.

“Oh, I’m okay.”

Ice drops into the pit of Tails’s stomach as he reviews the response. _I’m_ okay. _I’m_ sorry. _I_ didn’t see you there.

Sonic, Shadow, and Silver usually use _we_ when they’re sharing control. 

Suddenly, the multi-colored gaze seems to pierce through the fox. Confusion quickly switches to panic as a train of thought accelerates to a dangerous speed. Tails tries one last thing, hoping— _praying_ —that they’re just playing around, this is fine, everything’s _fine._

 _"Sonic? Shadow? Silver?”_ He asks, voice nearly a whisper. _“This isn’t funny.”_

A moment of silence feels like an eternity. Paradox’s eyes shift back and forth as if looking for something before he says something that destroys the very ground that Tails stands on. 

_“...Who?”_

The cup crashes to the floor with a loud crack. Tails stumbles back, eyes like pinpoints. _“Wh-What? YOU’RE Sonic, Shadow, and Silver!”_

For the first time, the grin on Paradox’s face falters. His ears flick back slightly, face looking both contemplative and ill. _“Oh!_ You mean the red, blue, and yellow ones! Yeah, they’re okay!”

Tails feels like the world is spiralling out from under him. _“Wh-What do you mean by ‘okay’?”_

Paradox pauses again, and another fragment of reality breaks away. “They’re… _asleep,”_ he finally says.

Every strand of yellow and white fur stands on end. Heart pounding, Tails grabs his big brother’s— _not_ your big brother, he’s an _imposter,_ a _fake,_ a _thief_ —shoulders and begins rapidly shaking the hedgehog. Something wet pricks at his eyes.

_“SONIC! Shadow! Silver! WAKE UP!”_

_“Wait—!“_ Suddenly, Paradox’s eyelids slip down, the hedgehog stumbling back a bit. He groans, a grimace crossing his muzzle. Slowly, his eyes flutter back open, revealing _green_ irises.

Tails freezes. _“S-Sonic?” Please be Sonic, please be Sonic, PLEASE._

 _“...Tails? What’s—“_ The fusion gasps as the kit tightens his grip on his shoulders. Blue eyes shine with barely-held back tears. 

_“Tell me each of your names. Switch control when you speak.”_ He orders, scrutinizing Paradox intensely.

Blue quills wither slightly under the glare. “Uh, I’m Sonic.” Irises turn red. “Shadow.” And finally yellow. “Silver.” The green color returns. “What’s going on? We just woke… Why are we in the kitchen?”

 _“Do you remember ANYTHING in the past half hour?”_ Tails exclaims. 

“Uh, not really. Were we sleepwalking or something?”

The train of thought derails. In an instant, a million dark paths form like cracks in Tails’s mind. 

They’re losing control of their shared body. It’s malfunctioning and acting without their commands. Or the fusion is… _infecting_ their minds too. They’re merging together into a single entity. And they don’t even know what’s happening. It’s trapping them inside their minds, erasing their memories and stealing their powers.

How long until it gains control completely? 

How long until the three… are _gone forever?_

Twin tails swishing anxiously, the fox releases his grip on the fusion and zooms upstairs to grab his phone. Paradox— _Sonic,_ his brother’s name is _Sonic_ and he needs to keep telling himself that—gasps, visibly puzzled. He reaches after the running fox.

“Tails, what’s going on?!”

The kit doesn’t respond, too focused on dialing the number of the one person most likely to be up at this hour. He holds his breath. 

Someone answers after three rings. 

“Well, this is a surprise,” a smooth, playful voice begins. “Isn’t it past your bedtime?”

“Rouge,” Tails breathes, relieved that somebody actually picked up at this hour. “Please tell me you found another emerald.”

Hearing the desperation in the fox’s voice, the bat switches to a more serious tone. “No, but Omega and I are out searching, after finally finishing up the last of the commander's errands. Why, did something happen?”

“We’re running out of time,” Tails declares, just as Paradox silently enters the room, unbeknownst to the fox. There’s a hint of red and yellow in his otherwise green eyes. 

“What do you mean?” Rouge asks. 

“Their minds are merging together. I don’t know how long until they’re completely fused into one.” The child sucks in a shallow breath, the dam finally breaking. “Rouge, I don’t… _I can’t lose him again.”_

One second after he utters those words, a sudden gust of wind rushes through the bedroom. Immediately, Tails’s head snaps up. 

The slam of the front door is deafening in the middle of the night. 

_“...Sonic?”_

His brother is already gone.

* * *

The sound barrier shatters, sending an ear-splitting boom echoing through the air. A streak of red, blue, and yellow surges across the land. The sun hasn’t even risen yet.

On the other side of the glass, Shadow and Silver stare at Sonic. Though it takes different forms, there is clear concern on both of their faces.

Paradox comes to a stop in front of a familiar cave. Above, a broken disk hangs in the dark sky, casting a dim, silvery light on the planet below. Frowning, the fusion carefully steps into the large opening, his enhanced vision easily being able to see in the darkness. With silent, light steps, he journeys into the cave, eyes searching for something. The hedgehog stops at the edge of a large chasm, a recent memory resurfacing. In a flash, he dashes around the pit. Paradox doesn’t even spare a glance at the crumbling rock below his feet, attention focused up ahead. However, he hastily slams on the breaks when something new fills his vision. A giant rock wall stretches in front of him. He looks around, scanning for any sight of glowing crystal, and frowns when he finds none. Just a wall of gray, dull stone. 

“Sonic?”  Silver asks quietly. The blue hedgehog in question remains fixed on the screen.  “Sonic, I’m sure it's in this cave. Let’s check somewhere else.” 

Silence. 

_“Sonic?”_

Sonic flinches before finally looking back at the younger hedgehog. “Sorry,” he apologizes, drawing his hands back from the pedestal. The tips of blue ears fold down.

Silver smiles weakly.  “It’s _okay.”_

_“I-I…”_

_“Stop,”_ Shadow commands, stepping forward with a frown. Sonic’s mouth opens and closes several times, as if he is trying to find the words.

“I just…”  he starts, head tilted down.  “We need to fix this. _Fast.”_

“Yes. The same thought occurred to us as well some time ago,”  Shadow states dryly. The familiar banter seems to do the trick. Some of the tension ebbs out of Sonic’s body. Red eyes soften by an imperceptible degree. “But we achieve _nothing_ by running around in the dark.” 

“Right,”  the blue speedster eventually says, his voice a little closer to his normal carefree and confident tone.  “Any ideas on where should we go now?”  He asks, glancing over to yellow quills.  “Silvs?” 

The time traveler doesn’t respond. His yellow irises are dots amidst a sea of white.

“Silver?”  Sonic tries again. Red and green orbs follow the younger hedgehog’s gaze… and instantly shrink.

They stopped in front of a stone wall. But now, they’re _not_ facing the wall. Rather, they’re looking at a boulder. _Walking_ towards a boulder. In unison, three pairs of eyes look down at the control console. It glows with a white light. And yet… 

_None_ of them are pressing the button.

_“...H-Hello?”_ Sonic asks, speaking at an almost inaudible volume. His throat has gone completely dry. 

Immediately, the body stops. 

Shadow, Sonic, and Silver freeze. 

_“G-Guys?”_ the youngest of the three whispers, ears pressed flat against his skull. His fingers are coiled painfully around Sonic’s arm, the blue hedgehog wrapping his other arm protectively in front of the time traveler. Shadow stands nearby, fists clenched and eyes rapidly scanning their surroundings.

_“Show yourself!”_ He snarls, quills bristled. Three wait with bated breath. 

The mindscape is silent. There’s another beat of stillness, and then someone takes a single step towards the boulder.

In a flash, Shadow rushes towards the pedestal, slamming down on the button. Warm white is swiftly overwhelmed by a vivid vermillion. The Ultimate Life Form stares intensely at the console before shifting his focus to the screen.  “From this point on,”  he begins, tone leaving no room for debate.  “At least one of us has to stay awake. _No leaving the console unattended.”_

“Right.” 

“Okay.” 

At the others’ responses, Shadow lets out a vaguely pleased sound. Pressing down on the button, he issues a command. Thankfully, the body complies with the order. This time, it moves forward as expected. Closer to the boulder. 

Silver blinks, gaze focusing on a strange protrusion on the rock. A quick peek to his right and left reveals that he isn’t the only one who’s noticed.

In one fluid motion, Shadow yanks the protruding fragment from the boulder. It is dropped unceremoniously to the ground as purple light spills out from the opening. The _Chaos Emerald._ Not wanting to waste another moment, Shadow swiftly moves to grab the jewel. But before his fingers can even get close to the gemstone, his arm suddenly locks in place.

Red eyes blink. Frowning, Shadow applies more pressure to the button. On the other side of the glass, a blue arm inches a little closer before stopping yet again.

_“What the hell?”_

“Shadow, what’s going on?” 

“It’s _back.”_

At once, Sonic and Silver come beside Shadow, all staring at the glowing pedestal. Sonic crouches low, practically sniffing the ground where the console connects to the ground. “ I’d say we follow the cable where we find the guy behind the curtain, but…  ” he trails off, rising back up to his full height as his focus lands on his doppelgänger’s irritated expression. 

“ I think it just doesn’t want us to touch the emerald,  ” Silver remarks, then pedals back. There’s a puzzled look on his face. “ But then why did it show us where it was in the first place? ” 

“ _Well,_ ” Shadow grits out. “ We need the damn emerald one way or _another._ _“ _The hedgehog once more shoves the button down, commanding the body to move—

—Before getting shot backwards without warning, skidding to a halt on his back.

 _“Shadow!"_ Silver shouts, rushing over to the fallen hedgehog. But his offered assistance is quickly dismissed. With a glare, Shadow swats away the younger’s hand, standing up on his own. He returns to the console, even more incensed than before. 

_“Hey, Shadow, wai—”_ Sonic attempts to say before the button is punched down yet again. And like watching a looped video, the Ultimate Life Form goes flying across the mindscape yet again. But this time, the blast ends up pushing back Sonic and Silver as well, though not nearly to the same extent as Shadow. The force isn’t painful, just startling.

Green irises look on in shock before narrowing with determination. _“ I can handle this!” _ Sonic declares, before running back towards the hub. But the moment he starts moving, a freak gust of wind starts pushing him back in the opposite direction. Every time Sonic speeds up, the wind responds by growing stronger. The two forces are equally matched. Unable to gain any advantage, the blue speedster ends up essentially running in place. 

_“Ack! C’mon!”_ Sonic growls in frustration, still unsuccessful. At the same time, Shadow has gotten back up and is now trapped in his own personal windstorm. 

Silver stares at the other two before looking at the console. The once steady light flickers every so often. Yellow eyes blink once in realization. Whatever this is, it doesn’t seem to be good at multitasking. Conjuring a shield of psychic energy, the youngest of the trio races towards the pedestal. As he suspected, there is no resistance to his advance. Just as his hand collides with the button, the console gives one final flash of white before being overtaken by a bright yellow. 

A gloved hand finally wraps around a shimmering purple crystal. There’s a split second of silence and stillness as the wind vanishes. Silver feels something invisible grab his neck fur and shove him in a similar manner to the others before. 

And then, the console erupts with a blinding white light and everything goes dark.

* * *

_ “ ...ugh. ”  _

Shadow, Sonic, and Silver groggily blink themselves awake. Where they were all once standing, they now lay face down on the ground of the mindscape. 

Sonic grabs his head. “I’m _done_ taking naps today,”  he groans. The other two groan in agreement. Shaking themselves back into focus, the three hedgehogs reorient themselves. They abruptly pause in confusion.

The clouds that normally hover by have stopped moving. Instead of bright beams of sunlight easily cleaving through the sky, a dim light strains to push through. Everything feels dull. Gray. Like you’re somewhere between asleep and awake. Even the colors are muted: red, gold, and blue much less vibrant. There are no white clouds to be seen. The screen and pedestal have gone dark.

Sonic blinks. “Uh, I think we messed up. _Big time._ _”_

“ Won’t be the first time,  ” Shadow grunts as he sits up. “And definitely won’t be the last.  ” The red hedgehog walks over to the console. 

“Are you _sure_ you wanna be using that again?”Sonic asks, very much aware of what just happened. Shadow narrows his eyes at his rival, but his hand does not descend upon the button.

“ Maybe I should do it,”  Silver suggests, “Besides, maybe what that was is gone. ” 

“ For now. For all we know it could just be watching, lying in wait for us to let our guard down.  ” But even Shadow looks like he doesn’t quite believe that statement himself. 

Silver ponders for a moment. “ Either way, we can’t just sit here and do nothing. If we don’t press the button, we won’t be able to even _see_ what’s happening outside. And if we can’t see, then we can’t move. We’ll just be unconscious on the floor of the cave, until Tails finds us. Or _worse._ _ ” _The time traveler leaves open-ended, letting the others fill in the blanks. 

Sonic glances away, an uncomfortable look on his face. “Right. Go ahead then.” 

The youngest of the trio nods solemnly. Behind him, the other two brace themselves for whatever could happen. Sucking in a breath, Silver pushes down on the button.

 _Nothing_ happens.

Three sets of eyes blink.

“Well, _that_ was anticlimactic,”  Sonic jokes, though his voice lacks some of its usual levity. “ Have you tried turning it on and off again?”  Less than a millisecond later, he feels a shiver run down his spine as blood red eyes bore into his side.

“Please just shut up,” Shadow growls, already thinking of at least ten ways to murder this blue rat. Had it not been for the fact that they were fused together, he would have slaughtered Sonic long ago.

_“Guys!”_ Silver jumps between the two.  “It’s lighting up.” 

Slowly, a yellow glow begins to emanate from the pedestal. But unlike the many times before, the light is weak and flickers like a candle flame. Gradually, the darkened screen lights up, the cave coming back into focus. As they expected, they are lying on the ground after having fallen over for the hundredth time. Sighing, they begin the usual process of standing back up. But they quickly realize that something is _off._ Their body feels… _heavy. Tired._ Whatever just happened must have taken more out of them that they thought. A headache—oh, _wonderful_ —stabs at their brain as they finally manage to sit up. 

The sensation of something in their hand finally registers and they crane their neck to look down. At once, Paradox gasps, two different courses of actions in his mind. Past experience and present reality tangle together in a mess of thought. 

They _shouldn’t_ be able to hold this. And yet, the Chaos Emerald sits comfortably in their hand, _not_ sending a burning shockwave up their arm. _How…?_ The trio’s bewilderment is unexpectedly interrupted by the sound of a high-pitched voice.

 _“GUYS!”_ Tails shouts, “Are you— _oh my gosh!”_

_“What, what is it?”_

_“You’re holding the emerald!”_ Tails exclaims before snatching the gem in question from the fusion’s grasp. “Are you _crazy?!_ You _know_ you shouldn’t be touch—” 

Paradox’s face twists into a scowl. “We _know, OKAY?! You don’t have to keep telling us!”_ He snarls, fangs bared and hands clenched into fists. Tails flinches back, his blue irises like dots. There’s a moment of tense silence as the fusion glares at the fox, his eyes flashing dangerously. An icy, sterile, and terrifying white.

Like flipping a switch, a horrified expression floods Paradox’s face. The hedgehog immediately recoils back, hands clasping over each other. _“Oh Chaos, I’m so sorry, Tails, we didn’t mean to—”_

 _“It’s fine,”_ Tails responds, breaking eye contact. He swallows. “I’m just worried about you three. It isn’t safe for you to be running off like this right now.”

This time, it’s Paradox’s turn to look away. His ears flop down in shame. “I… We just wanted to _help.”_

Tails sits down next to the fusion. “I know. But you _need_ to be careful. You guys can still get hurt. This isn’t… You can’t just go off on your own like you used to.”

Green eyes study the wall silently. Sighing, Tails glances down at the emerald in his hands. As he examines the jewel, Paradox finally speaks. “We overheard you talking to Rouge,” he reveals quietly, and Tails stops. The fusion inhales unsteadily, suddenly seeming very small. “What’s going to happen to us when,” he starts, before quickly changing the word. _“If_ our minds end up fusing together? Will we just… _disappear?”_

Tails’s mouth sets into a hard line. “That _won’t_ happen. We’ll unfuse you guys before then. It’s going to be—”

“It’s been _two weeks,_ and we _still_ don’t have all of the emeralds yet!” Paradox interjects. He lets out a frustrated noise, pressure building in his eyes. “We should have… _I should have found them all by now!_ But _here we are,_ stuck in this stupid cave because _we can’t do ANYTHING right!”_

“That’s not—”

 _“I’m USELESS, Miles!”_ Paradox screams, unable to hold it back any longer. His chest shudders as warmth spills down his face. 

_“Guys…”_

_“Please. We WANT to help. We NEED to.”_

A beat. A lifetime— _three_ lifetimes—stretches by in a single moment. Tails draws in a breath, the stagnant air from the cave only making him feel colder. He nods gravely.

_“Okay.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to TharkFlark1 and SmallPwbbles for the three gut-punching illustrations. 
> 
> See you next chapter.
> 
> _IV ___


	7. The Guest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick disclaimer: this chapter has more profanity than any of the chapters before. It's nothing super bad, but we thought we'd give you a heads up. 
> 
> On to the chapter!

They stumble into Resistance HQ in a blur. Paradox is leaning against Tails’s shoulder, the fusion unable to stand upright on his own. The only person in the room is Knuckles, the guardian always early to rise. It’s a good thing. The echidna has seen this scene before. Tails’s frantic expression as his exhausted and injured brother tries to soothe him. Knuckles doesn’t need an explanation. 

_“What do you need?”_ He whispers, immediately coming up on the other side of Paradox to steady him. Multi-hued eyes widen before looking away, colors churning like the sea in a storm. Slowly, Tails and Knuckles guide the hedgehog into an empty room. They gently set Paradox down on a cot, fatigue rolling off the fusion in waves. Knuckles glances over to the fox, patiently waiting for an answer. Tails always needs a moment when he’s like this.

 _“Have you located any more emeralds?”_ He eventually asks, fear leaking out despite his best efforts. When Knuckles gives a nod, the kit’s face lights up with childish hope and joy. “Where is it?”

Knuckles pauses, eyes darting over to blue quills. Paradox sits completely still, quills disheveled and eyes staring blankly ahead. 

The echidna answers. “...One of Eggman’s old bases. I was about to head over there myself. The sooner, the better.”

 _“We’ll go with you,”_ Paradox immediately announces, the first thing he’s spoken since coming in. He attempts to get to his feet before Tails suddenly seizes his arm.

 _“No,”_ the fox declares. Paradox frowns, eyes narrowing.

_“Miles.”_

_“No!”_

_“You said you would let us help!”_

“You can barely _stand!”_

Growling, Paradox tries to stand again. And yet again he is stopped. _“Why would you get our hopes up like that?”_

“I know this is difficult for you, but I _can’t—”_

“If you know this is so _difficult_ for us, _why won’t you let us help and FIX this?!”_

_“Because I don’t want to lose you again, Sonic!”_

Reality crashes to a halt. Green eyes are blown wide.

_“I-I…”_

“I know my problems are _small_ compared to yours…” Tails utters quietly, hands clenching into tight fists. “I’m not trapped in a fusion. But all of this is still _hard_ for me too! Everybody’s counting on _me_ to _fix this_ and I don’t know if I can do it.” The fox pauses, wiping away the tears sliding down his face. _“I just got my big brother back, and n-now…”_

Blue arms curl around yellow-orange fur, drawing a gasp from the child. Paradox says nothing, simply hugging Tails tight.

“Just… be careful, _okay?”_ He pleads, ears flattening. “We… We _care_ too.”

Tails nestles into the fusion’s arms. With his eyes closed, it feels the same. “I will. Promise me you’ll stay here until we get back?”

A breath. _“...I promise.”_

Reluctantly, the two brothers untangle. Paradox gives Tails a wan smile before turning to Knuckles. Narrowed tri-colored eyes lock with purple ones, a wordless conversation passing between the two. Finally, Paradox exhales slowly, a fragment of tension ebbing away. Knuckles gives a solemn nod, before heading towards the door. Tails’s gaze lingers on Paradox for several moments, a hesitant expression on his face. He opens his mouth as if to speak before closing it. 

_“See you later,”_ Paradox waves weakly. 

Tails waves back.

Three minutes after the kit disappears behind the door frame, Paradox lets out a sigh. He closes his eyes, a hand rubbing his face. A groan tumbles from his lips as he unsuccessfully tries to tidy his quills. There’s a quiet creak as he plops down on the cot, a headache still plaguing him. Not helping it are the three trains of thought pulling in different directions in his brain. 

“Do you honestly expect to just sit here and do _nothing?”_

“We _promised.”_

_“You_ promised.” 

“He’s our _brother!”_

“He’s _your_ brother, not mine. He doesn’t mean anything to me.” 

_“That’s a LIE, and you know it!”_

“I’m not going to sit around doing _nothing_ while _something is trying to take over our minds!”_

“And what are _you_ going to do?! I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but our body’s _NOT really working right now!”_

 _“Both of you, STOP!_ We’re _all_ frustrated about this, but there’s _nothing_ we can do at the moment! If we went with them, we’d probably end up getting hurt or killed! The best thing we can do is wait here and maybe try to get some rest or something.”

“And let that thing take over again?”

 _“No._ Because one of us will be at the console, _like you said,_ Shadow. As long as two of us are asleep, the body is asleep.”

_“Hmph.”_

“...I’ll take watch first.” 

_“You better—”_

“—wake you up if something happens, _I will.”_

With a growl, Paradox rolls over on the cot, a frown on his face. There’s a minute of silence as the fusion stares at the wall, before a sound breaks the silence.

“Still talking to yourself, huh,” a voice suddenly speaks. Red-colored eyes snap open. 

_“Rouge?”_ Paradox asks, straining to sit up. _We were talking out loud?_ The bat in question winks.

“Hi, boys. Long time no see.”

* * *

The beautiful morning sky is a stark contrast to the storm of anxiety plaguing Knuckles’s mind. Wind rushes past red and yellow wings, a propeller humming loudly. In the pilot’s seat, blue eyes are fixed intensely on the horizon. The fox hasn’t said a word since they left the base.

Knuckles frowns, the crease in his brow deepening. Alright, _enough_ of this. _“Tails,”_ the echidna utters, startling the kit slightly. “You made the right choice. They’re safer at HQ.”

Tails’s mouth sets into a thin, straight line. The propeller hums. “I guess you’re right…” he responds. “But I _told_ them that I was going to let them help, and now—”

“They would just end up getting hurt if they came along, Tails.”

“I know, but… I just don’t like leaving them alone. Not while they’re like this.”

“The sooner we get the emeralds, the sooner you’ll have Sonic back. Until then, we need to focus on the mission.” Knuckles gives the fox a confident smile, clenching one of his hands into a tight fist. “And don’t worry, _I’ll_ make this _quick_.” The attempt at levity does little to release the tension Tails feels.

“Okay,” the younger mobian mutters, unsure of what else to say. Swallowing, he returns his attention to the horizon. For what is not the first time, Tails mentally berates himself for not modifying it to be able to scan for emeralds as well. The jewel radar is still at home, broken after their last venture to one of Eggman’s bases. When Paradox almost…

_Anyways._

“Do you see anything?” Tails inquires, attempting to move away from that terrifying memory. 

Knuckles squints, scanning lush, green rainforest for any hint of manmade machinery. “No. Anything on your radar?”

“Eggman always hides any signals from his bases so as to not be tracked down by GUN,” Tails states before glancing down at his docked handheld. “I probably won’t be able to see…” 

The kit blinks.

“What’s wrong?”

Blue irises stare at a large, red dot on the screen. It flashes like a lighthouse beacon in the middle of the night, bright and bold. 

Tails can’t believe his eyes. “I don’t… This _never_ happens. Why would he…?”

“What is it?” Knuckles asks, peeking down at the screen as well. 

“Eggman didn’t hide the signal. Could it be a trap or something?”

Knuckles looks ahead with a determined expression. “Well, we’re about to find out. Whatever it is, we’re not letting the old man get a jump on us. We need the emeralds.”

With a grave nod, Tails eases back on the acceleration and lowers in altitude. With masterful dexterity, he guides the Tornado-1 between giant trees, bringing the biplane to a stop on the rainforest floor. Tails and Knuckles disembark wordlessly before taking off in a flash of yellow and red. While they may not be as fast as one of their teammates, it does not take the two long to reach Eggman’s base. The duo comes to a stop in front of two massive, metal doors. Vines and moss snake across the weathered and tarnished surface.

From their hiding spot, Knuckles surveys the area for any turrets or badniks. But there is _nothing,_ not even one lousy Crabmeat. _“No defenses?”_ He muses aloud. “Are you _sure_ this is the right place?”

Tails takes out his handheld, staring at the screen in confusion. “It _has_ to be,“ he replies. But even the kit sounds a little unsure. Uneasiness slithers down his spine. This seems _too_ similar to what happened last time. A seemingly-abandoned base with no enemies to be seen. Somewhere, there is a Chaos Emerald inside. 

Knuckles stands up. “Well, there’s no point in waiting.” Ignoring his friend’s protest, the guardian marches up to the doors, brandishing his fists. Tails hurries after him, concern flashes on his face. Narrowing his eyes, Knuckles winds back an arm, intending to punch an opening in the metal. However, before his fist can connect with the metal surface, the door abruptly swings open. Tails and Knuckles peek trepidatiously into the open threshold, before hazarding a few steps into the base. They freeze as lights snap on down the corridor. A familiar voice comes through a loudspeaker on the wall, a camera next to it rotating towards the two mobians.

“Please, _come in!_ After all…” Eggman pauses. “I’ve been _expecting_ you.”

* * *

Crossing her legs, Rouge taps her fingers on the edge on the cot. She glances over to Paradox, the blue hedgehog frowning with his arms folded. All of his responses have been monosyllabic, the fusion’s gaze focused on the wall. 

Rouge grins knowingly. “You know,” she begins, her tone casual. “The commander’s got us doing some extra work to cover for your absence. We just finished up another assignment last night.”

_“‘We’?”_

“Omega and I, silly. Who else would it be?”At once, Paradox’s eyes narrow slightly. The spy continues, amusement twinkling on her face. “It’s funny really. The big guy hasn’t been destroying as much as he used to. I think he misses blowing things up with you. He’s been relentless in searching for the emeralds. In fact, he’s still out looking right now.”

It is only because of her experience and keen observation skills that Rouge notices the miniscule shift in Paradox’s expression. It’s overwhelming with the lack of verbal response, the fusion still not saying anything. The bat exhales audibly, the grin dropping from her face. Her eyes soften. _“Shadow,”_ she says, and Paradox immediately blinks. Rouge tilts her head, seeming vaguely disappointed. “Don’t give me that look. I’d recognize that whiny pout anywhere.”

“I’m _not_ whining,” the fusion retorts, whirling around to glare at her. 

“Of course.”

Huffing, Paradox folds his arms tighter. He looks away once more, his quills towards Rouge. Tri-colored eyes bore a hole into the wall. The spy sighs again.

“Sonic? Silver?” She asks quietly. “I know you can’t really _go_ anywhere, but could you… give us a moment, please? As best as you can?” There’s a beat of silence after the bat speaks, Paradox’s back still to her. Then slowly, the hedgehog turns to her. His eyes—completely red—are opened wide. 

Rouge smiles softly. “Are they gone?” 

“...Y-Yeah.”

Teal eyes crinkle. “You’re _welcome.”_

A pale pink spreads on Paradox’s muzzle. Red eyes dart away, suddenly finding the floor incredibly interesting. Rouge observes him for a moment.

“So… How have you been holding up in there? I know this must be especially strange for you.”

On the other side of the glass, a glowing hand hovers over the button. Ears flick back as red eyes dart to the side. In the distance, Sonic and Silver start searching for any clues about the fourth entity. 

Shadow swallows. “It’s… strange. Living like this, sharing this body: I’m never truly alone anymore. Even if they’re further away now, they’re still t _here._ _Always there._ It’s… _stifling._ Is that… _odd?”_

The spy shakes her head. “No. You’re not used to this. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Everyone’s built a little differently. Not everyone wants to be the center of attention.”

“It’s _frustrating.”_

 _“Shadow,”_ Rouge utters, staring directly into red-colored irises. “You’ve never been much of a social butterfly. In all honesty, you’re the most introverted person I know. Meanwhile, your blue roommate is one of the most talkative people I’ve ever met. Between you and me, I don’t think he could keep quiet to save his life. He’s even worse than Bryan from the decryption unit.”

At the mention of their overly chatty co-worker, Shadow can’t help but let out a small chuckle. A tiny smile flashes on his muzzle. Rouge beams back at him. She’s missed this.

“This is going to work out. Everyone’s working hard to find the emeralds and unfuse you three as soon as possible. We just need you to hang in there for a little longer, alright?” The bat smiles once again, and winks at the fused hedgehog. “Surely this won’t be much of a challenge for the _Ultimate Life Form_?”

Shadow rolls his eyes, but the smile remains on his face. His reaction elicits a giggle from Rouge, her grin broadening. The two agents sit together in silence for several moments, simply letting themselves exist in each other’s presence. Theirs is a restrained and unorthodox relationship, but a close camaraderie nevertheless. Rouge does not mind speaking for all of them. Studying Paradox for another second more, her lips twist into a frown.

“You look _awful,”_ she comments.

If it was any other person, they would have received a roundhouse kick to the head. But in this case, Shadow simply narrows his eyes. “Thank you for that _astute_ observation.”

“Oh, don’t get your quills in a bunch,” Rouge teases before switching to seriousness. “But seriously though, you look like you need some sleep. And don’t even try to pull the _‘I don’t need sleep’_ card on me _again._ The last time you said that—and I _know_ it was you, Shadow—you passed out while talking to Tails. _So please, SLEEP.”_

 _“Fine,”_ Shadow huffs.

Rouge smiles. _“Wonderful.”_ Sliding off the cot, she spins back around to face him. “Goodnight!” She says before heading out the door. She’s about to leave when something stops her.

_“Wait!”_

A hand pauses on the doorknob. “Yes, Shadow?”

Ears slick back a bit as red irises break eye contact for the briefest moment. “What if…” Shadow pauses, his throat strangely dry. He tries again. “What if this gets worse? What if… _Hypothetically speaking, of course,_ this gets out of our control?”

At the hedgehog’s words, a quiet, sincere smile forms on Rouge’s face. Her next words, though quiet, burn with conviction and loyalty. “No matter what happens, know that I’ll always remain by your side. _Remember that.”_ The bat turns away, grip tightening a fraction on the knob. She gives her friend one last smile, soft and sweet like a sunflower. “Goodnight, Shadow,” she whispers, turning off the light. The door quietly clicks shut. 

Shadow stares at the closed door before lying down with a sigh. On the other side of the window, the alien hybrid massages his temples before looking around for his ‘roommates’. Silver is in the air, weaving and searching amongst the clouds. Meanwhile, Sonic has his head stuck in the ground. Shadow pauses, mildly surprised that the two actually answered Rouge’s request. _Huh._ Filing this observation away for now, Shadow calls Silver and Sonic back to the hub. Immediately, that suffocating feeling flares up in the back of his mind, and his frustration resurges like a giant wave. He bites his tongue, trying to stay calm and remember what Rouge said. Just a little longer.

“What’s up, Shads?” 

“Watch the console. Keep your hand on the button.” Shadow instructs, before casting a look at the youngest of their trio.  “Silver.” 

_“Oh! Right!”_ The time traveler nods.

“Wait, Sha—” 

“Wake us if _anything_ happens.” 

Sonic blinks.  “Uh, okay, _”_ he answers, pivoting to face the button.  “Oh. and for the record, I _don't_ talk that much. For government agents, you’d think you two would pay attention more. I mean it’s…” The blue speedster trails off, a faint blush materializing on his muzzle. 

Silver and Shadow have already left.

Clearing his throat, Sonic hastily spins back to the console. Time to stop talking now.

* * *

It takes less than a second for Knuckles to explode. _“EGGMAN! Is this another one of your TRAPS!?”_ He bellows.

“Oh, _far from it,_ my hotheaded friend!” Eggman responds, amusement evident though the speaker. “I knew you would arrive for the emeralds sooner or later. And it appears you’ve left your _beast_ at home.”

_“Why, you—”_

_“Knuckles,”_ Tails interjects, placing a hand on the echidna’s arm. The fox inhales deeply, trying to calm his racing heartbeat. He throws a cold glare at the camera. “What do you _want,_ Eggman?”

“Well, a little Flicky told me about your _conundrum._ Issues with… _Paradox_ , was it?”

Tails’s pupils shrink to pinpoints. “What do you know about _Paradox?!”_

“If you _truly_ want to know, we’re going to need to discuss this a little more _privately._ Genius to genius.” Eggman explains. A small door at the end of the hall opens. “If you want to _help them,_ that is.”

Tails and Knuckles share a look. Eventually, the older of the two takes a step forward. Immediately, the door closes. 

“Perhaps my instructions were too unclear for you to understand. I need to speak to the fox, _alone.”_

“Like _hell_ you are,” Knuckles retorts, spines bristling. 

Eggman’s response sounds vaguely bored. _“Time_ is of the essence. I think you of all people should know that, Tails.”

The fox in question bites his tongue, weighing the options in his head. He’s faced with two terrible paths, neither of them preferable. He’s seen first-hand what Eggman is capable of. But at the same time, he’s seen what’s happening to his brother. Glowing eyes and a shattered chair lurk in the back of his mind. He pushes past the lump in this throat. With a determined look on his face, the kit speaks. 

“Alright, Eggman.”

You can feel the doctor’s glee through the speakers. The door slides back open. “That wasn’t so hard now, was it? Come on in! We have _much_ to _discuss_.”

Before Tails can leave, Knuckles seizes the kit’s shoulder. _“I don’t like this,”_ he whispers. 

Yellow-orange ears flop over. “Neither do I. But we don’t really have a choice. If he has any information that could help them we need it. And while I’m talking to him, you can look for the emeralds. Keep your comm on.” 

Knuckles stares at one of his closest friends, emotions battling on his face. Reluctantly, the guardian lets go. The separation feels like a chasm, increasingly distant footsteps like a gavel banging. Blue locks with purple one last time, each one praying that this is the right choice.

_I’m sorry, Sonic._

Tails sucks in a breath as he takes in the room. He forces himself not to react when he sees the figure sitting in a chair, blue light from screens creating an eerie halo. The man grins broadly, a sterile white smile.

 _“Hello,_ Tails! Make yourself comfortable!”

The kit frowns, eyes narrowing. “I’d rather you just get to the point, Eggman.”

Eggman chuckles lowly. “I see your manners are as bad as Sonic’s,” he comments. “Very well, then. Let’s cut to the chase.” Pivoting in his chair, the doctor turns to the computer behind him. He taps several buttons before a hiss sounds from the console. Machinery whirls quietly as panels slide back on the computer. Yellow and blue light washes over the room as two jewels emerge from the opening. “Is _this_ what you were looking for?”

At once, Tails’s pupils shrink to pinpoints. But the child prodigy quickly shakes his head, seeing through the ruse. “You _seriously_ can’t expect me to believe that _this_ is why you called me here.”

“Observant as always. You remind me of myself in a way.”

Every strand of fur stands on end. _“I am NOTHING like you!”_

The cheshire cat grin falters. “No need to shout. _So much for hospitality_ .“ Eggman covers up a cough. “Anyways, I’m certain that you are aware there’s something _wrong_ with the hedgehogs? More than usual, I mean.” He stops, glancing down. The fox’s namesakes twitch behind him. A smirk stretches across the scientist’s face, the man clearly finding pleasure in watching his foe squirm. When it is obvious that the kit isn’t going to respond, he continues. Eggman steeples his fingers together. “Fusion is such an intriguing concept. In all my research about chaos energy, I have _never_ read about, much less _observed,_ such a phenomenon before. Obviously, I _had_ to examine it closer.” The doctor leans back in his chair, dropping his hands. “But as I studied your fused friend, I couldn’t help but notice something. A rather _interesting_ trend.”

At those words, Tails’s control slips. The words tumble out of his mouth before he can stop them. “What are you talking about?” 

Eggman presses another button. At once, graphs and charts, logged with all kinds of data, appear on the screens. “Of course, any self-proclaimed _scientist_ might have just captured footage for their research. But only a true _genius_ knows when to look deeper.” Eggman gestures to a graph with three different-colored lines. Hesitantly, Tails steps closer. “This is a graph of the three hedgehogs’ unique chaos signatures over the last week. The initial data points are their signatures prior to being fused. As you can clearly see, _something_ is happening.”

“They’re… getting more similar,” Tails realizes, eyes widening.

“Again, very observant. And while drawing a conclusion from a time frame of a mere week, this trend is evidently something to consider. It is more than likely that the percentage of similarity between the three will increase over time. Perhaps… even to the point where they are _indistinguishable.”_

At that, Tails goes completely still, not a word spoken. But the look in his eyes is everything the scientist needs. Eggman turns to face the fox completely, a strange gravity to his tone. It sounds… _genuine?_

“Considering the circumstances, Tails, I’m going to offer you a deal. I will extend you my assistance in solving this paradox, if you’ll pardon the pun. No strings attached.”

Almost immediately, Tails shuts him down. _“Absolutely not!”_

The human gives the kit a hard look, blue light reflecting on his glasses. Like flipping a switch, the doctor returns to his usual scheming tone. “Consider your options carefully, _fox._ Even if I gave you the emeralds, we both know this is beyond your capabilities. But with my intellect and resources, you might actually stand a chance. Tell me, have you even considered what to do once you’ve acquired all of the emeralds?”

 _“I…”_ Tails hesitates, voice hitching. 

Eggman’s voice is chillingly blunt. “There are _three_ lives at stake here, Tails. Are you _certain_ you can save them? You wouldn’t want to disappoint everyone, _would you?”_

* * *

As much as people accused him about being ‘loud and obnoxious’, Sonic _didn’t_ spend all of his time talking. In fact, he’d spent quite a bit of his life as a mute. But even when he eventually could speak, he wasn’t constantly yapping about nothing. There were times when he preferred the quiet peace, where the only sounds were the rustle of the leaves or the melody of birdsong. His favorite places were those where nature and all its beauty could be seen untarnished. So much of his time seemed to be spent getting bombarded by noise; it was comforting to get away and listen to the silence.

Sonic sighs deeply, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. It’s impossible to be touching the button and sitting down on the ground so he’s been standing up for the past hour. He’s kept watch before plenty of times—Eggman’s robots don’t need to sleep—but this feels like watching paint dry. At least those times there were stars or crickets chirping to keep him company. But _here,_ Sonic thinks, tilting his head up. The clouds are still frozen in time. Everything’s darker now that the body is asleep. There’s _nothing._

Sighing again, the blue hedgehog taps his foot for the hundredth time that hour. He runs a hand through his quills absentmindedly. “Man, I wish I had a chair or something…” he mutters aloud, before abruptly gasping as _something_ pushes him off his feet. His pupils shrink in shock as he swiftly regains his bearings, making sure that one of his hands is still on the button. And then, he freezes.

He’s sitting on a chair. 

A chair.

_...What?_

Pulse quickening, Sonic hastily scans his surroundings, searching for _anything, anyone._ Silver and Shadow are still asleep. _“Hello?”_ He calls out.

No answer.

_“Is anyone there?”_

Nothing.

A frown forms on Sonic’s muzzle, expression laced with confusion and the tiniest hint of fear. The chair itself is familiar. It looks like one of the extra folding chairs they have laying around at HQ, but ten times more comfortable. Blue ears flick anxiously. 

The clouds are moving again. Does that mean that… whatever this thing is, is back? Is it… _watching them?_ Looking for an opportunity to take control again?

Gloved fingers spread across the button’s surface.

Well, if it’s waiting for an opening, it won’t find one. And maybe, Sonic realizes, _maybe_ he can use this to his advantage. After all, if it’s here watching, it’s also here _listening._

 _“Hey?”_ The speedster starts, lowering his volume. His expression softens, appearing friendlier. The mindscape remains silent, and Sonic feels the slightest bit of embarrassment building. _“Hi._ I don’t know if you can actually hear me or anything but…” he pauses, drawing in a breath. ”While I can’t say that I’m completely okay with this, you _did_ help us find the emerald. So… _thanks for that.”_

The silence returns after Sonic speaks. A minute ticks by. Then two. And then slowly, something happens. Green eyes widen as a white cloud swirls into existence in front of him. Dim light emanates from it. 

Sonic blinks, staring at the little cloud. “ _Hello?”_ He greets, somewhere between friendly and cautious. At once, the cloud withdraws, almost seeming to shrink. 

Eyes blink again. “I just wanna talk. Is that cool?” This time, the cloud hovers back to its original position, a couple of paces away from Sonic. The blue speedster grins. “The name’s Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog. And you are?”

The cloud shifts in place, ebbing and flowing like the tide. Sonic realizes that he probably looks _really_ dumb right now, talking to a cloud. That could also be like a split personality trying to hijack their body and trap them inside their mind for all of eternity. Maybe it’s a good thing the others are asleep. “Uh…” the teenager fumbles. Might as well commit to the weird. “You don’t talk much, do you?”

Another ripple of white. A blush forms on Sonic’s face and he trails a finger on the side of his muzzle. _Obviously_ it can’t talk, it’s a freaking _cloud. “Hey, that’s cool, I used to be mute too.”_ The teen clears his throat. _“A-Anyways…”_ he stammers. “What are— _Hmm?”_

Sonic pauses, his ears hiking up as his attention locks on the cloud. The little mass of white seems to be inching towards him, gradually floating closer. A frown passes over the teen’s face as gears turn. His quills bristle slightly. _Should I REALLY be trusting this thing? I mean, yeah, it helped, but it still locked us out. But then again, it TECHNICALLY hasn’t done anything bad. Yet._ The blue hedgehog observes the hovering cloud as it draws nearer. He inhales.

_Everyone deserves a second chance, right?_

Carefully, the blue hedgehog raises his free hand out, keeping his other one on the console. The cloud flinches back again, but Sonic smiles softly. “It’s _okay._ I’m not gonna hurt you.”

Slowly, the cloud resumes its movement. Sonic holds his breath as it comes right up to his raised hand. Silence pushes down with all of its weight as green irises look on in apprehension. The cloud moves again. And Sonic’s heart skips a beat. For less than a millisecond, soft fluff lightly brushes against his fingertips. The sensation barely has time to register before the cloud abruptly pulls back. It flies away, putting a large distance between it and the speedster.

Sonic glances up, bewilderment appearing on his face. “Uhhh… _Hi?”_ He blinks, lowering his hand. The cloud seems to fold into itself. Exhaling, Sonic manages a fragile smile. “Hey, don’t worry,” he soothes. White ripples once before slowly moving up and down. Is it… _nodding its head?_ He really must be losing it if he’s thinking that about a _cloud._

The cloud continues to float in place. Sonic studies it for a moment before speaking again. “So…” he begins, shifting in his seat somewhat. “Can I ask you some questions? If that’s okay with you.” Sonic’s question goes unanswered for several seconds as the cloud hovers. Eventually though, the mass of white nods. The hedgehog’s smile broadens. “So, what’s your favorite color? Do you like long walks on the beach? Were you the one who gave me this chair?”

Though it has no face, Sonic swears that it feels like the cloud is giving him a vacant stare. Or maybe it’s more like watching a computer program load. Finally, it responds. The cloud billows before inflating outward, reconfiguring into a new shape. A moment later, another chair appears in the mindscape. It’s identical to Sonic’s except this one is a grassy green.

 _Huh. Well, I guess that answers two of my questions._ Sonic notes silently. _Wait…_

Green eyes stare intensely at the formed chair. 

_Does that mean it can create ANYTHING it wants in here? It held Shadow and I back AND took control from us, so clearly it has power. And it had plenty of chances to attack when all three of us were asleep. So why didn’t it do anything now?_

Shoving down the lump in his throat, Sonic resumes his little investigation. “Do you have anything that you like to do?”

At the inquiry, the chair dissolves back into white. The cloud swirls in place, as if still processing Sonic’s words. A whole ten seconds pass before it changes into another form. In contrast to the last time, the cloud shrinks down. A swish of white and a flower crown suddenly appears in the air. Ultramarine blossoms rendered in all of their beautiful detail.

Sonic blinks. _That’s one of Cream’s flower crowns. Why did it make one of those? HOW does it even know how to make one of those? Unless it’s been spying this entire time. From the moment the three of us got fused together in the first place._ He barely manages to keep the tremble out of his voice. _“What are you?”_ the blue speedster whispers. This time, the cloud’s answer is almost immediate. It expands to a larger size before splitting into three, equally sized masses. Sonic stares with wide eyes. And three pairs of eyes stare back.

It’s the three of them. But also _not._ It’s sort of like looking into a warped mirror or something: close but some things are off. Like a circle that isn’t _quite_ symmetrical or a jigsaw puzzle that’s missing one piece. A chill sinks into Sonic’s core as he stares at the three copies, the speedster immediately bolting to his feet in shock. At least the colors are right: Silver’s actually _silver_ and not yellow.

With one part curiosity and one part fear, Sonic steps towards his own copy. It appears to have much messier spines than the original, almost seeming to have extra ones. The buckles on his shoes are on the wrong side too. Moving on to Silver’s knockoff, the mistakes become much more glaring. His futuristic gloves are replaced by plain ones, which lack the aquamarine detailing and gold bracelets. Upon closer inspection, Sonic realizes this replica is _missing both of his ears as well._ Panic building, the speedster moves to the last of the duplicates. Seeing the big frown on Shadow’s faker— _ha_ —gets a little smile out of the blue hedgehog. _At least it got that right,_ he comments, before moving to the errors. The clone’s red stripes were slightly off center—which was _impossible_ to unsee—and its shoes lacked the iconic jets.

Sonic stares at the copies for several more moments, mind whirring as he attempts to make sense of the figures. Then, it finally clicks: “You’re… _us?”_

The replicas nod in perfect sync, empty gazes fixed on blue quills. Not unsettling at all. Sonic swallows. “So, uh…” he tries, trying his best to sound casual. “What brings you here? Was there something you wanted?” 

There’s another painful beat before a response is given. The three duplicates blankly stare at Sonic before abruptly bursting into white. They may be copies but seeing familiar faces—and _your own face_ —explode into smoke causes the hedgehog’s pulse to suddenly accelerate. Green eyes look on in terror as the three clouds vanish, not transforming into anything. Just an empty space where three figures once stood.

Words tumble out of Sonic’s mouth, trembling and weak. Ice has spread to his limbs, the hedgehog petrified with fear. _“W-Who, who are you?!”_ The cloud swirls back into existence to answer. And once again, it turns into a familiar figure. Sonic recoils back. Reality falls out from under him.

_Paradox_ gazes back at him with blank, white eyes. A smile like a porcelain doll stretches across his muzzle. The fusion reaches an arm out towards Sonic, provoking another flinch from the hedgehog. And then Paradox takes a step forward.

Sonic’s quills instantly bristle in defense. He backs up as Paradox halts for a moment, seemingly just as hesitant as he is, before continuing to walk closer, hand still outstretched. _Reaching. Oh CHAOS._

With the fusion still advancing, Sonic quickly slips into a battle stance, not about to go down with a fight. But only a split second before he can strike, eyes locked on his target, Paradox suddenly disappears in a fog.

“ _WHAT?!”_ Sonic exclaims, spinning around in a panic trying to locate the fusion. _“Where did he go?!”_

But the mindscape is empty yet again. Even the chair is gone. No indication that there was ever something, or _someone else,_ here.

Sonic heaves in a breath, trying to control his trembling. “Okay, _okay._ Alright. That was _freaky.”_ He says, swallowing. Gradually, his hands stop shaking. “What the heck was that about? Was he trying to _attack_ me? But why would he wait so long before acting? Was he—”

 _“Wha…?”_ A voice mumbles. The Fastest Thing Alive immediately pivots towards it… and becomes even _more_ puzzled.

Silver rubs his eyes, pushing himself up as he stumbles back into the waking world. _“Sonic?_ What’s—”

 _“What are you doing away from the console?!”_ Shadow snarls, snapping awake in an instant. The other two freeze.

_“Shadow, this isn’t—”_

_“I TOLD you to not leave the console unattended! Can’t you listen to me for ONCE?! Are you so STUPID that you cannot even manage THAT?!”_

Sonic withers back slightly as Shadow glares at him, a savage gleam in red eyes. The blue speedster sucks in a breath, before retaliating with a determined gaze of his own. _“I talked to him,”_ he reveals. _“The other guy.”_

The silence from Silver and Shadow is deafening. Sonic bites his lip. 

“Look, I _know_ this is gonna sound _insane,_ but I met…” the blue hedgehog pauses. What is he supposed to call this guy? Might as well use an already established name. _“Paradox,_ and we talked a bit. Sort of. He can’t really speak so he made things out of the clouds.” The blue hedgehog pauses, glancing at the others. Silver’s expression looks somewhere between frightened and confused, and Shadow’s is… _difficult_ to place. Swallowing, Sonic continues. His eyes dart between the two other hedgehogs, as if looking for something. The best way to say this. _“...I…”_ he hesitates, _“I don’t think we should unfuse yet.”_

 _“...What?”_ Silver whispers, almost too quiet to hear. Green irises meet bewildered yellow ones.

“There’s… I think you were _onto something,_ Silver. Paradox is… I don’t think he’s bad. I think he’s just trying to—”

_“No.”_

Yellow and green eyes blink once before slowly turning to the side. Above, clouds begin to gather, each one stained scarlet.

Sonic backpedals, raising his hands. “Shadow, just _listen—”_

 _“No, YOU listen!”_ Shadow retorts, storming towards Sonic. _"I’ve had ENOUGH of you!_ We agreed to get out of this mess _as soon as possible,_ and now _you’re backing away?!”_

 _“I’m NOT backing away,_ I’m just saying we should _pause for a moment!_ _Would it hurt you to wait until we figure this out?!”_

Less than a millisecond after the words leave his lips, Sonic gets slammed against the console. Shadow’s fingers are coiled painfully around his arms.

_“Listen here, you son of a bitch,”_ the Ultimate Life Form growls, eyes burning with fury. The golden sky burns red. _“There are very FEW people I TOLERATE for extended periods of time. So how do you think I feel being stuck with YOU for TWO WEEKS!?”_

Sonic struggles against his doppelgänger, trying to break free. _“Hey, I haven’t been enjoying this either!”_ He bites back. In response, Shadow simply tightens his grip.

Silver hurriedly intervenes between the two speedsters, scrambling to stop this argument. _“Guys, sto—”_ he tries before being shoved away. Shadow growls, blood red orbs like darts stabbing into Sonic. But the blue speedster simply smirks.

"It always has to be _your_ way, doesn't it?” Sonic remarks, voice as smooth as silk despite his rival’s murderous expression. “You've been trying to call the shots since we got into this mess because _you_ want to be in control."

Shadow snarls. _“Don’t talk to me about doing it my way! You just do whatever YOU want, whenever you want, regardless of the consequences! As long as YOU get to have your FUN, nothing else matters!”_

At that accusation, something snaps inside Sonic. _“You’re calling ME out for being selfish?!”_ He laughs, sounding only a _touch_ deranged. _“Oh, that is RICH.”_

 _“YOU SHUT THE HELL UP!”_ Shadow roars. As if on cue, a peal of thunder rumbles above, clouds churning in a cyclone. Red bleeds onto the three figures as the Ultimate Life Form raises a hand into the air. Crimson energy flares at his fingertips, condensing into a crackling, razor-sharp spear. 

Crimson light reflects in terrified green orbs. 

Only a moment before the blade hits its mark, cyan energy explodes across the mindscape. The spear fizzles out into nothing. 

_“ENOUGH!”_ Silver shrieks, his entire body enveloped in a psychic aura. With a flick of his wrists, he pries the two speedsters apart. Sonic and Shadow struggle fruitlessly against their restraints as Silver looms in front of them. _“LOOK AT US!”_ He screams. _"We’re at each other’s throats for practically no reason at all! What would the others think of us right now?! Rouge? Cream? TAILS?! What would THEY think of US?!_ ” 

_“Silver, I—”_

_“SHUT UP!”_ The time traveler shouts. Sonic’s jaw audibly snaps shut, the field of psychic energy growing brighter and more opaque. _“You two have been acting like CHILDREN this entire time! How many fights have I stopped between you two because neither of you can put your stupid pride away EVEN FOR A MOMENT?! I’M SICK AND TIRED OF IT!”_

__

The glowing hedgehog pauses, sucking in a shaky breath. Hot tears spill down his face. He glares at Sonic and Shadow, eyes flashing threateningly, before heaving out a weary sigh. 

_“Look,”_ Silver says, forcing his voice down to a quieter volume. “You _both_ make good points. But we should hear the full story before we go _jumping to any conclusions.”_ He scowls at the others. “You two like to _forget that there are THREE PEOPLE in this fusion.”_

Sonic and Shadow break eye contact at that statement. Inhaling again, Silver continues. “I’ll let you two go but you HAVE to promise me that you’ll hear each other out. No more trying to kill each other, okay? _I mean it.”_

The two speedsters huff. Glancing at each other, the two throw one last glare before looking away. _“FINE!”_ They exclaim in unison. Against his better judgment, Silver releases them. “Sonic, what were you going to say?”

Sonic coughs, brushing himself off. “Sorry, Silver,” he apologizes. Silver says nothing, simply narrowing his eyes a degree. “Anyway, _as I was saying:_ I don’t think we should unfuse _yet_ . _Trust me,_ the end-goal is still getting out of this place and out of this body, but the person, thing, _whatever it is…_ It’s still _here._ ”

Shadow huffs, folding his arms. “What makes you so _certain_ this _thing_ is even alive? That it’s not the mindscape answering your questions, or _worse,_ something more malevolent?”

“His name is _Paradox,_ and _his_ favorite color is green,” Sonic corrects. “He likes flowers and…” the speedster trails off, silently cursing himself for not asking any more questions before Paradox disappeared. Then a memory hits him. “Oh! He made a chair! But it disappeared when he left…”

Silver’s head cocks to the side. “A _chair?”_

“Yeah! But not just like a random chair or something simple, he _specifically_ made the folding chairs we have at HQ. The ones that are everywhere! And when I asked what he liked to do, he made a flower crown, the _exact_ same one Cream made for us.” Sonic paces a bit, his fingers tapping on his chin. “He’s not making new things, he’s making things he’s _seen_ before. And when I asked what he was, he created fake versions of us.”

“That’s _creepy,_ Sonic. _”_

“Oh, it _was._ The copies were off and missing some details—like your copy didn’t have _ears,_ Silver—but they looked like how we normally looked outside of this place. He’s probably seen pictures of us around.”

Silver squirms. “I could have lived without that image.”

“Get to the _point,_ Faker,” Shadow grunts.

“My point is that this whole time he’s just been watching. Observing. The first time he took control, instead of doing something like, breaking Tails’s scanner or running off, Tails said he was looking around in the kitchen. And he helped us find the emerald when we were looking for it, only taking control when we got stuck. He seems more _curious_ than evil.”

There’s a brief moment of contemplation between them. “Hmph, while your thoughts make some sense, that alone is insufficient. We would be taking a large risk here.”

“Shadow, _please._ I think Silver was right when he said it might be helping us. More _time,_ that’s all I’m asking for.” 

The Ultimate Life Form narrows his eyes at Sonic before glancing over to Silver. _“Well?”_ He exclaims. The lighter-colored hedgehog shuffles nervously with the two sets of eyes on him. 

“...I think I’m with Sonic on this one. _Not because he agreed with me or anything,”_ Silver is quick to emphasize, “But like, if it IS living and it IS helping us, there might be a way to save it AND unfuse.”

Sonic nods in agreement. He turns to Shadow, an earnest expression on his face _“Please?_ Just _trust_ me on this, _okay?”_ he pleads.

The red hedgehog’s eyes flick between the both of them, a stubborn crease in his brow before it melts away. _"Fine._ You want more time, I'll give you more time. _But take too long…”_ Shadow narrows his eyes. _“We’re switching to MY way. And I won’t give a damn what either of you think.”_

Silver and Sonic swallow. _“Right…”_ the latter of the two says. Sonic looks away, his ears tilting down in uncertainty. “What do we do now?” He asks quietly. The other two follow his gaze.

In the middle of the mindscape, where three individuals intersect, the control hub sits dark. There are scuff marks along the once-pristine white surface, the button having suffered so much abuse over the last two weeks. Above, the clouds swirl silently but still tainted with red. It’s almost the perfect metaphor for the trio’s current state.

Sonic exhales, the exhaustion of all of this seeming to crush him all at once. None of them asked for this to happen to them, but it _did,_ and now they have to claw their way out of this dilemma. Whatever they end up doing, it’s going to be _messy._ Letting out another sigh, Sonic turns to the other two.

“We still need to sleep. I said I was going to keep watch, and I still plan on doing that. I’ll wake you if anything happens.”

 _“Are you sure?”_ Silver inquires, anxiousness oozing from his voice. Sonic nods, nothing but seriousness on his face.

 _“I promise,”_ he declares, gazing at the time traveler. Green irises flick up to meet red ones. “And you _know_ I don’t take promises lightly.”

Shadow looks away stiffly, frown deepening. In one fluid motion, he uncrosses his arms and marches away. _“Silver,”_ he calls, not even peeking back. The hedgehog in question blinks once before following. Sonic watches them go before lowering his focus to the pedestal. With the chair gone, he’s forced to stand once again.

It is only until after the others have fallen back asleep again that Sonic speaks again.

“Hey, _Paradox?”_ He starts, searching for a wisp of white cloud. Anything. But the darkened mindscape offers him no answers.

Blue ears flop down. “I’m really sorry about that. Shadow’s… Well, he’s got strong opinions. Heh, all three of us do. I’m sure you know that, right?”

Silence.

Sonic presses on. “This is gonna work out,” he says, not sure whether he’s saying that to himself or the clouds above. His eyes are fixed on the console. “Tails is gonna figure this out. _Just you wait.”_

The rest of the night passes in silence.

* * *

It’s funny, Tails thinks, standing there in one of Eggman’s bases. Every other time he’s been in one of these places, he’s been eager to leave. Who would want to stay there, when death could be hiding behind the corner?

And yet, as he stares at one of his greatest enemies and one of the worst villains in the world, he wishes he could just stand here longer. He needs more _time._

But deep down, he knows that all the time in the universe wouldn’t be enough to reach a unanimous decision. How can you decide when either option means walking blindly into the abyss? Part of him is livid that he would even _consider_ trusting Eggman. But the other part—the part that stares at blue quills and screams it’s wrong, it’s _wrong_ —is louder. 

_“...Who?”_ The memory hisses in his ears. Empty stares and painful tears. _Wrong, wrong, WRONG._

_Tick tock, kid._

“Why are you doing this?” Tails asks, staring at Eggman. “What would you gain by helping us? They’re your worst enemies.”

“Don’t look at a gift horse in the mouth,” the human grins. “Truth is, having to deal with one hedgehog as opposed to three has proven to be more challenging than I expected. That, and _only I_ should have the privilege of ending those spiky nuisances.”

“If you’re just going to just _ignore_ the question, then there’s no point in me staying.”

Eggman scrutinizes the fox. “Always the sharp one, aren’t you? If you want the truth, well,” the human’s attitude suddenly shifts from vain to serious. “...I have a theory.”

Tails blinks. “A _theory?”_

A nod. “Do you remember Paradox’s little outburst last time we met? The amount of power he exhibited?”

“Yes…?” Tails answers, unsure of where this is going.

“It’s evident this fusion is more than the mere sum of its parts. You would expect that the amount of chaos energy inside Paradox would simply be that of his components added together, but he has far more than that. According to my research, this amount has only been _increasing._ And not linearly: rather, _exponentially.”_ The human frowns, what almost looks like worry showing on his features. “I believe its loss of control back then was but a taste of what’s to come. All of that chaos energy, accumulating at such rapid rate within a singular entity, it’s almost like…”

 _“A ticking time bomb,”_ Tails finishes grimly. The doctor nods. 

“Right now, Sonic, Shadow, and Silver are the only ones keeping this power at bay. And as you might have noticed, their control over the fusion is rapidly weakening.” Eggman sighs. It finally registers in Tails’s mind that the man is not just worried, he’s _afraid_ . “I don’t know for certain how this power will manifest itself. All I know is that _when it does, not even MY forces will be enough to stop it.”_

The memory slams down violently in front of Tails’s eyes. Wild red lightning crackling above cyan energy. Fangs bared in a murderous grin. And a discord with four parts speaking out of tune.

 _“This time…_ **_I’m not gonna let you have the CHOICE.”_ **

They were so _close,_ Tails realizes. If he had hesitated even one moment longer, if Paradox had moved a little faster…

The fox’s heart stops, the scene replaying in a loop with horrifying clarity. A terrifying thought finally connects in his mind.

He’d flown in _front_ of Eggman. Which means that if Paradox had gone through with his attack...

Eggman would be _dead._

_And so would he._

“So…” Eggman begins, snapping Tails out of his frightening realization. His tone is quiet and soft, a hint of quivering in his voice. “Can you _help_ me, Tails?”

Slowly, the human offers a hand to the fox. Baby blue irises stare at the outstretched hand. On the console, two gemstones shine yellow and blue.

Yellow and blue.

Tails contemplates Eggman’s offer. And once again, time rushes past, falling like sand through his fingers. _One, two, three, four._

Accepting this proposal goes against everything. Cities are still in ruin and people still displaced because of Eggman. Believing _anything_ he has to say is absurd.

And yet…

Sometimes a seemingly absurd proposition proves to be true. That is the very definition of a paradox.

Eyes narrowing, Tails chooses his path. His hand presses into Eggman’s larger one.

“You have a _deal.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you to TharkFlark1 and SmallPwbbles for some _lovely _angst illustrations.__  
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> _  
> _A big thank you to Matt at https://movie-robotnik-positivity.tumblr.com/ for helping us with the chapter. Particularly writing dialogue, helping capture Eggman's wonderfully evil personality, and basically creating a new outline from what we had. Thanks for joining Paradox HQ!_  
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> 
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> _From this point on, there will likely be a larger gap of time between each chapter. Please be patient with us as we at HQ work hard to make these the best they can be._  
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> _Leave your comments and questions below. See you next chapter._  
> _  
>   
>  _  
>  _  
>  ~~Just Bryan. ~~~~~~  
> _  
> _


	8. You Can't Go Back

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: there is gore and body horror in this chapter. You have been warned.

Desperation and stress are powerful motivators.

This was the worst idea Tails has ever had. But it is his only option at this point. He’s… _They_ are out of time.

Tired, blue eyes peek up from his work to see an infamous figure. Eggman is hunched over a touch screen, schematics reflecting in his glasses. Across the room, robotic eyes bore a hole into the villain’s flesh. 

Rouge taps on Omega’s chassis. “He can’t free Shadow if he’s _dead,_ big guy.”

“...UNDERSTOOD. UNLOADING ALL WEAPON SYSTEMS.”

Knuckles folds his arms tighter, focus entirely on the Master Emerald. Next to him, Amy observes the entire scene with thinly veiled worry. _None_ of them like this. 

_“Given the Chaos Emeralds and Paradox naturally repel each other, our only hope is to use the Master Emerald to create a bridge between them.”_

Tails heaves in a breath, trying to focus. He can barely concentrate on what he’s doing. 

Blaze had said something to him before she left for the last emerald. As the machine gets finished, her words echo in the fox’s mind for the tenth time.

_“The Sol Emeralds instructed me to come to your world to prevent a great disaster. I fear that our window to act is quickly closing.”_

Blue eyes move to look at a clear case in the center of the room. Six lights glow in a soft cascade of color. His namesakes twitching, Tails glances towards the door of the lab. 

_Wish you were here,_ the fox says to no one but himself.

* * *

It is a strange thing to be trapped in your own mind. It’s even stranger when you realize you might not be the only one.

Silver lets out a weary sigh, a hand resting on the pedestal. He peeks behind himself for a moment, his ears drooping. 

Sonic and Shadow stand on opposite ends of the mindscape, as separated as much as they can be while trapped in here. Surprisingly, the two moved to these locations of their own volition. 

_“Why would you do this?!”_

_“We’re running out of options!”_

_“How could you agree to work with HIM?!”_

_“I DON’T KNOW ELSE TO DO!”_

When Tails revealed that he had enlisted Eggman’s help in unfusing them, emotions had immediately run high. It took _everything_ for the three of them to simply keep calm as their greatest enemy flitted about. An hour ago, the doctor had said something that sent them over the edge. Not wanting a repeat of what happened before, they’d retreated outside, away from Eggman. The fresh air had helped calm their nerves somewhat, but it could only do so much. 

And so, the three had spread apart.

Releasing another sigh, Silver returns his focus back to the screen. The calls of wildlife sound in the distance, the animals preferring to keep their distance. Resting his head on his knees, Paradox curls in slightly, his yellow eyes unfocused. So caught up in his thoughts he doesn’t hear the sound of footsteps coming closer.

“You picked a far spot to think,” a familiar voice comments. Instantly, Paradox whirls around.

 _“Amy?_ What are you doing here? How do you find us?”

The pink hedgehog gives the fusion a kind grin, before gently sitting down in the grass next to him. “To answer your second question, it turns out my ‘Sonic Radar’ seems to work regardless of fusion.” Amy pauses after that statement, noticing Paradox burying his muzzle in his chest fur. She can’t help but giggle. “How are you, Silver?”

Yellow eyes widen. “How did you…?”

“Your eyes change color, remember? And the ‘hiding your face in your fur’ thing is something I _know_ only you do.” 

Silver’s blush darkens. “R-Right…”

The two hedgehogs sit in silence after that. Somewhere in the distance, a small creek weaves its way through the forest.

“So…” Amy begins, “Are you doing okay?”

For several moments, Silver doesn’t respond. He swallows, ears pressed flat. Sonic and Shadow still stand in the far corners of the mindscape. 

The time traveler raises his gaze to meet Amy’s. “Can I… Can I tell you something?”

Amy smiles softly. “Of course.”

“There’s a… I don’t know what I’m going to do after this. If we… _When_ we unfuse.” 

“What do you mean?”

Silver swallows again. “It’s only been two weeks, but it feels like we’ve been stuck like this _forever._ It’s going to be weird not having two other voices in my head. Being _alone_ again.” He laughs breathlessly. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to return to my time right away.” The time traveler speaks the next sentence at a low volume. “I don’t know if I even _will.”_

“You don’t want to go back?” 

The blue hedgehog glances away. “Anything you change in the past affects the future. It’s like a domino effect, and I’ve spent so long only trying to stop these changes from happening, until I met you guys.” Silver curls inward. He looks so _young._ “I really like working with you and saving the world, but I’ve never stayed in the past for so long. How much have my actions changed my future? What if I just made it worse? What if I changed so much that now I’ll never be _born, and as soon as I return to the future I’ll just disappear?!”_ Silver makes a frustrated noise, hitting his forehead against his knees. _“I don’t know what to do! And I haven’t even thought about this unfusing stuff!”_

“Do you not want to unfuse?” Amy asks quietly.

 _“No!”_ Silver immediately replies. The reply is too fast. Too defensive. Mint orbs meet his anxious yellow ones. No words are spoken. The fusion sucks in a breath. “Did Tails tell you about the _other… person_?”

Amy nods solemnly. “Yes. It’s been trying to steal control of your body.”

Silver glances away briefly. “Well, that’s sort of true. This is gonna sound _crazy,”_ he pointedly admits, “But Sonic and I _don’t_ think it’s evil. As crazy as that sounds, we think it’s trying to _help_ us somehow. In its own, weird way. Does that… Does that make _sense_ somehow?”

Mint eyes stare intensely at the fusion for several moments. “Silver…” she starts, shockingly seriously. “I trust you a lot. I knew I could always depend on you during the war. And Sonic… Well, I don’t have to tell you about _that.”_ Magenta colors Amy’s muzzle. She shakes her head, getting back on track. “But are you _really_ sure it’s not just tricking you? What if it’s implanted the idea to be nice to it into your minds?”

 _That_ catches Silver off guard. He never… They never considered _that_ possibility. _“I…”_

Amy takes his stunned silence as her cue to continue. “Have you interacted with it at all? Do you know _anything_ about it?”

“Sonic kind of spoke to it once.” Silver pauses, fiddling with his gloves. “A-Amy…” he stutters. There’s a lump in his throat again, but it’s sharp and dry and he can’t push it down. But he tries anyway. “Amy, what if _he…_ What if _Paradox_ is his own person? He’s _alive._ If we unfuse, are we… _killing someone? I CAN’T do that._ He hasn’t done anything _wrong.”_

The silence that follows Silver’s words is deafening. Amy opens and closes her mouth, struggling to find the words. What… What do you even say to _that?_

In the distance, white clouds hover in the sky. 

_One soul for three._

“Silver…” Amy begins. “Can you get Sonic and Shadow for me please? I want to speak to all of you.” 

Yellow eyes blink once. “Um, sure.” There’s momentary silence as Silver closes his eyes. When he opens them, red and green also swirl in his irises, with the yellow remaining dominant. “Okay, we’re all here.”

Slowly, Amy takes Paradox’s hands. She stares directly into his eyes, her gaze piercing through him. Straight into three souls. “No matter what happens, we’ll be here to support you. All of you. You need to do what you truly think is right. All of this is so messy and confusing and we’re all guessing blindly here. But I _know_ you’ll make the right decision.” With one last smile, the girl lets go of the fusion’s hands. She rises to her feet, brushing off her skirt. The next words she utters are spoken in a clipped, quiet tone. “Blaze came back with the last emerald. When you’re ready, come back to the lab. We’ll wait for you.”

With that, Amy turns and heads back towards the base. Paradox watches her until the trees block her from view. Once she disappears into the forest, the fusion turns his focus inward. 

Silver looks at the others.

“So…?” Sonic breaks the silence. 

Shadow crosses his arms. _“So.”_

A beat. _“_ You’re _actually_ gonna let us do this?”

“I’ll be waiting for when this fails.”

”You really don’t want to give him a chance, do you?”

“Tell me, Sonic. You keep saying that you still want to unfuse, but part of me is starting to doubt that. You’re all too ready to throw your life away but are you willing to drag two others down with you? You criticized me for wanting to sacrifice _my_ life. I didn’t realize that you were going to end it for me.”

_“That’s not—”_ Sonic begins, before growling in frustration. White clouds stain a pale blue.

Red eyes narrow. _“Is it?”_

The blue speedster abruptly pivots, tearing his gaze away from his doppelgänger. Silver studies Shadow, then Sonic, taking in their expressions. An unstoppable force meets an immovable object. They really are a mess, aren’t they? Sighing, the time traveler takes the opportunity to speak. “We still have to go back to the base,” he reminds them. “We can decide once we get there. _Please.”_

Sonic and Shadow remain silent, their frowns deepening. An eternity passes as two opposites try to find common ground. Eventually, Sonic steps towards the pedestal. He begins to lower a hand onto the button, only to feel something— _someone_ —gently push back. Puzzled, the blue speedster turns to his companions only to see his confusion mirrored in their own. Frowning, Sonic tries again. And yet again his hand is repelled. But the force is much more gentle compared to the last time it— _he—_ fought against them for control. So much more _hesitant._

_Scared._

Green eyes study the white pedestal. _“Hey,” _ Sonic begins, trying to keep his voice warm and reassuring. “We just need to talk to Tails first. See if he’ll give us more time if we explain the situation.” Slowly, Sonic reaches for the button again. The force _—Paradox—_ returns. But this time, he wavers a little. 

Shadow clenches his fist. He starts forward before a hand suddenly closes around his arm. Eyes narrowing, he whips back around to see Silver staring at him with a pleading look in his eyes. _Please,_ the younger hedgehog entreats. _Be patient._

With a glare, the Ultimate Life Form uncurls his fist. Silver releases his grip, allowing Shadow to step back to his original position. 

Sonic breathes out a quiet sigh of relief. _“Paradox,”_ he says, a soft smile grazing his muzzle. “It’s going to be alright, okay? I swore I’d figure this out. I meant it.” A hand hovers, inches above the button. “And I _don’t_ break promises.” 

There’s a tense moment of silence. The clouds above swirl silently overhead, clumps of dull gray. Drawing in a breath, Sonic drops his arm.

The pedestal glows a bright blue.

For a split second, Sonic blinks at the console. But surprise is swiftly replaced by smugness as the blue speedster smirks at his rival. Shadow simply huffs and averts his gaze. Shaking his head, Sonic turns to the screen.

“Alright… Let’s get moving.”

With that, Paradox stands up and begins the long walk back to the base. He could run, skate, or fly back in the blink of an eye, but something holds him back. His body feels… _heavy. Stiff._

_What’s going on? Why is it so hard to walk?_

Frowning, the fusion raises his hands. With a burst of cyan, he hovers into the air and flies towards the building. The strange weight worsens. Inside the mindscape, the three hedgehogs try their best to ignore it. 

Paradox touches down in front of the door to the lab. Something twitches on the edges of his mind, like a loose thread being unraveled. A cold breeze on the back of your neck. Nerves. I’m nervous. We don’t have to be nervous, they’ll understand. It’s going to be _fine._ We’re just asking for a little more _time._

A hand rests on his shoulder, snapping three minds back into awareness.

“Are you alright?” A voice inquires. _Amy._

The fusion remembers to nod. “Where is everyone else?”

Mint irises look away. “Rouge and Blaze are still in there, keeping an eye on things. Tails asked Omega and Knuckles to step out. You guys aren’t the only ones who have trouble putting up with a certain doctor.”

If the circumstances were different, someone might have laughed. 

“Anyways,” the girl continues. “Are you ready to go in?”

Paradox’s throat feels oddly dry as he answers. The door slides open. 

_“Ah!_ If it isn’t our _special specimen!”_ Eggman announces. He stands in the midst of an endless supply of gadgets and gizmos, the names of which Paradox was sure only Tails would know. Rouge and Blaze stand nearby, scrutinizing every movement that their temporary ally takes. The latter of the two holds a cyan gemstone in her hand. Warm green light pulses from the Master Emerald. Eggman gives the fusion an uncharacteristically welcoming smile. “Impeccable timing too! I just finished with the preparations!”

Green eyes flick back and forth. “...Where’s Tails?”

The human appears unperturbed. “ Oh, the fox? He went to grab something. ” He abruptly snaps his fingers. “Speaking of grabbing something…”

With a strangely dramatic sweep of his hand, Eggman reveals a large metallic tube that stands silently towards the back of the room. It’s covered in all sorts of colorful buttons, screens, and wires that snake their way into a large interface and along the walls. 

As Paradox approaches the object, narrowing his eyes suspiciously, the side facing him suddenly hisses and slides apart vertically to create a ramp to within. The fusion pauses, unsure of how to form the question on his lips from three separate vocabularies. Somewhere, the thread gets more unraveled.

Eggman explains without needing to be prompted. “It’s a deep scan. It’ll help us measure the exact amount of excess chaos energy keeping the three of you together so we know exactly how much we need to extract. We _can’t_ move forward until it’s done.” 

Paradox manages a stiff nod. _“Right.”_ Right. This is fine. 

Multi-hued irises stare at the machine. Which looks like a capsule, he realizes. A _capsule._ That’s fun. We love capsules. 

Red and green eyes widen. 

_“And Amy, take care of yourself.”_

_“Sayonara… S—“_

Without thinking, Paradox steps back, heartbeat beginning to race. The three girls gaze at him with concerned eyes, Amy reaching towards him.

Eggman smirks. _“Afraid?”_

Paradox’s answer is instantaneous. _“No!”_

The human’s grin only widens. “If you say so. Then if there are no further protests, why don’t we begin?”

Tri-colored eyes blink. _“Now?”_ the fusion asks incredulously, glancing around. “What about Tails? We _need_ to talk to him.”

“It can wait until after this scan.”

 _“No_ , it _can’t,”_ Paradox declares, frustration building. “It’s _important.”_ With that, the hedgehog turns on his heels, intending to go off and find his brother. Amy, Rouge, and Blaze hurry to intercept their departing friend. 

Eggman’s eyes narrow at the display. “Tell me, _Paradox,”_ he begins, “Are you aware that you are running out of time?”

The hedgehog halts mid-step. Around the room, the others freeze as well. _“...What?”_

“The longer you put this off, the less chance we have of unfusing you. So, I would just end this quickly if I were you. Unless you would rather stay like this?”

“We _want_ to unfuse.”

“Then stop hesitating, _and do as I say_.” The doctor’s tone becomes serious. “It’s really a weakness, you know.”

_“It is NOT a weakness!”_

“Suit yourself. But I will tell you again: you’re running out of time. And when that window closes, not even I know what will happen. You can’t go back.”

_“What are you talking about?”_

“Best case scenario, your distinct chaos energies will continue to meld to the point of no return, until your consciousnesses either fuse into one or disappear completely, leaving _who knows what_ in its place.” Eggman pauses, a frown crossing his face. “Worst case scenario, the ever increasing amount of stored chaos energy will become too much for your body to control properly. In layman’s terms, you’ll be a walking time bomb.”

The deafening silence says it all.

 _“So…”_ the doctor concludes, returning his attention to the computer. _“What’ll it be?”_

All eyes land on Paradox as the fusion contemplates the situation. Blue ears slick back slightly. “How… How much time do we have left?”

Eggman’s mouth sets into a thin line. “Hard to say, could be a week, two days…” he pauses, brows furrowing. “But most likely, you have until sundown today.”

_“SUNDOWN?!”_

Somewhere, a clock ticks. Three pairs of eyes stare at each other.

“What do we do _now?”_ Silver asks quietly. “Shadow? Sonic?”

“I… I don’t know. I trust Eggman about as far as I can throw him but…” Sonic trails off, hand resting on the button. Shadow narrows his eyes.

Paradox swallows. “This is just a scan, right? You’re just checking things, yeah?”

The levity in Eggman’s tone does little to quell the fusion’s anxiety. “Yes, of course! I am a man of my word.”

None of the trio know what to say to that.

Taking a deep breath, Paradox drags himself towards the capsule. Amy, Blaze, and Rouge watch silently as the fusion ascends the ramp, trying to ignore the horrible image that comes to their mind. 

The inside is much more interesting; objects that look like strobe lights line every wall, all pointing towards the center. On the ceiling is a claw-esque contraption, not unlike an industrialized shredder. The weird cold feeling at the back of their minds returns as Paradox walks toward the middle of the machine. With a click, the door seals like a coffin around him. Paradox’s heart is already racing.

_Calm, calm, we have to stay calm, we need to STAY CALM._

Eggman’s voice calls through the metal. “Oh, and one more thing. I would stay _very still_ if I were you.”

Sterile white light flickers on within the chamber as the scan commences. Following Eggman's instructions, Paradox stands deathly still, going so far as to hold his breath. As the light crawls over him, he feels something twinge painfully in the back of his head. A yelp tumbles out before he can stop it, his hands flying up to clutch at his head. In the mindscape, Sonic, Shadow, and Silver mirror the action, the three crying out as well. 

Alarm bells blare across the mindscape. _Wrong, wrong, something’s wrong, trap, trap, this is a trap, no, no, no, no!_

A second, more painful twinge draws a wail. Through the metal coffin, the fusion hears his name being called. Recognizing the voice, he tries to call out, but the pain stabs again. There are panicked footsteps and doors opening and servos whirring. Red and purple clouds spiral around each other as wind churns them into a tempest. Rain begins to fall. 

_“What are you doing to him?!”_ Tails shrieks, pushing against the clutches of the badnik holding him still. Next to him, the others do the same. Omega primes his cannons, but there’s no way for him to fire without hurting the others.

Eggman ignores him, still focused on the machine. _“I told you to stay still, you rat!”_

Paradox doesn’t hear him. The knife twists deeper, cleaving through his mind in a horrifying vivisection. Lightning flashes as rain intensifies to a full deluge. Agony swells like a balloon, straining against the very seams of the mindscape. Sonic, Shadow, and Silver are left at the mercy of the storm, unable to do anything else but endure the pain. As their screams crescendo, the clouds erupt into a dangerous white. 

_Hurt, hurt, it hurts, they hurt, go away, go away,_ _GO_ **_AWAY!_ **

The balloon _bursts._

A massive, red shockwave explodes outward from the machine, blowing everyone nearby backwards. Sparks of energy travel up along the cables connected to the machine, frying the main console. Then a second, cyan shockwave follows, freezing everything it touches and rendering gravity null. There’s a brief second of stillness as everyone hangs in mid-air—only able to move their eyes—before the normal laws of physics return.

Tails quickly winds up his namesakes and manages to control his descent to the ground. The others are not so lucky, with Knuckles rolling and banging his head against the metal wall. As the smoke and dust clear, the aftermath comes into view. 

The robots that had been holding them hostage lay in scattered pieces all around. But the group only focuses on the broken metal for a moment, their eyes drawn to something else. 

They freeze. 

The machine has been crushed into a pressurized soda can, the metal casing distorted and almost falling off completely in certain places. It looks as though a mere breath could cause the contents to explode from within. Glass litters the floor, the scent of fire permeating the air. 

Eggman stumbles to his feet, smoke escaping from the computer next to him. 

_“Well,”_ he coughs. _“I did not see that coming."_

 _“EGGMAN!”_ Knuckles shouts. Behind him, Omega’s optics burn with murderous excitement. But before either of the two can attack, a sound seizes everyone’s attention.

A groan echoes from the capsule. And then, without warning, massive hands pierce the machine from within, peeling the top off with little effort. A second pair shoves down the sides, revealing a now _much_ larger Paradox with four glowing eyes. The fusion roars before falling to his knees with a loud thud. As the hedgehog tries to catch his breath, the rest of the heroes quickly step back, ready for a fight. Tails hastily jumps in front of them. 

_“Stop! It’s okay! This is NORMAL!”_

Knuckles does a double take. _“‘Normal’?!_ In what way is this _normal,_ Tails?!”

“I mean that he… _they have done this before!”_

_“And you didn’t bring this up before?!”_

_“It never came up!”_

_“You didn’t think it was important to mention that he can turn into THAT?!”_

_“Can we focus, please?!”_ Amy yells. 

_“Oh no, PLEASE keep arguing…”_ Eggman practically purrs, grinning like a cheshire cat. There’s a remote in his hand, his finger hovering over a ruby red switch. “Gives me more time to do THIS.”

The switch is flipped with a noiseless click.

In an instant, the Master Emerald pulses bright green. Before anyone can react, a lightning bolt of pure chaos strikes Paradox directly in the chest. At once, the fusion is forced back, tensing from the impact. Four eyes widen, trying to reorient themselves. The bolt is still embedded in his chest, like some kind of rope connecting the hedgehog and the Master Emerald. Paradox only has a moment to stare before the bolt suddenly _twists_ and _pulls._ The scream in his throat dies as the air is abruptly ripped from his lungs. 

Inside the mindscape, Sonic, Shadow, and Silver are shoved backward. As they attempt to get back up, they find that their bodies have gone limp.

_“What’s going on?!”_

_“I can’t MOVE!”_

_“We need to…!”_

Grunting, Sonic struggles to stand up. His wide green eyes stare at the console, behind which green lightning fills the screen. _Move, move, we need to move, get away!_

Outside, Tails and Amy hurry towards Paradox while Knuckles and the others surge towards Eggman. Just as they are about to reach their targets, they collide with an invisible wall.

 _“What the hell?!”_ Knuckles bellows, pushing at the shield. Next to him, the others do the same. Eggman grins wickedly, all sharp teeth.

“My improved illuma-shield! Try all you want, but you'll _never_ be able to break through!”

Blue eyes snap towards Paradox. _“What are you doing to him?!”_ Tails screams.

“What we agreed on.” Eggman levels a cold stare at the fox, green reflecting in his glasses. “I _told_ you, its power is too dangerous to be left unchecked. So, I’m going to put an _end_ to our problem _right now_ .” A sinister smile forms on the human’s face. “And if it allows me to kill three birds with one stone, that’s just a _bonus._ Don’t worry, I won’t make it _too painful.”_ He comments, as if this is the most casual thing in the world. “Honestly, all of this would have been easier if it hadn’t destroyed the machine. But I always keep an ace up my sleeve.”

As if on cue, the Master Emerald flashes a sickly green. Paradox leans forward as something is pried from his body. Green energy swirls like a snake around its prey as red, blue, white, and yellow spill out from the fusion’s chest. Paradox wheezes, the very life being severed from his being. Back in the mindscape, the three hedgehogs continue in vain to try and get up, even as they feel themselves getting weaker.

Clouds swarm and darken to an angry red. 

The console burns white.

Gritting his teeth, Paradox pulls back on his stolen chaos energy. Like a twisted tug of war, the chaos is yanked in two directions: one side with the Master Emerald and the other with the fusion. Tails and the others look on in shock as the energy begins to change direction. Somewhere, tiny cracks begin to form on an otherwise white surface.

Eggman growls furiously. _“YOU!”_ he roars. _“How can you resist?! Well, two can play at that game!”_ Flicking another switch on the remote, the Master Emerald’s light turns to a sickening shade. Paradox gasps, dragged forward as the other side increases its pull. He digs in his heels, fighting to hold his ground. The cracks deepen under the increasing pressure. 

_“N-No!”_

The villain cackles maliciously. _“This is the end for you, Sonic!”_

At Eggman’s words, Paradox lets out a shriek. Summoning all of his remaining energy, he wrenches on the rope. _“My name…_ ” he starts, eyes narrowed in determination. “My _name_ is _Paradox and I won't let you hurt them ever AGAIN!”_

__

In a blinding flash, the room erupts into white and green. The sounds of a scream and shattering glass overlap each other. Like pulling on a stretched rubber band, the stolen energy slams into Paradox. The fusion staggers backward, barely managing to stay upright as lightning strikes his chest for the second time. For one, endless second, lava burns through his veins, the chaos energy overwhelming him. But as suddenly as it began, the burning ends. 

When the light subsides, the damage is finally seen. Dull green shards litter the floor like shell casings on a battlefield. Shadow, Sonic, and Silver stumble back to their feet, their eyes darting around anxiously. The youngest of the three opens his mouth to speak but _something_ cuts him off.

 _“THE MASTER EMERALD!”_ Knuckles screeches. Immediately, he snatches up shards of the shattered jewel. The sudden movement snaps everyone else back to reality. 

_“Paradox!”_ Tails screams, stepping towards the fusion. Amy follows shortly behind him while the others surround Eggman. The two stop short in front of the giant hedgehog, who has gone strangely rigid. His four blank eyes stare at one of his hands, while his second pair of arms are crossed over each other.

Amy blinks. _“Paradox…?”_

This time, the fusion finally reacts. He turns his wrist… and a piece of the inhibitor ring splinters away. 

Tails’s voice is almost too soft to hear. _“Wh-What?”_

Paradox unfolds his lower arms. The limiters on those wrists are completely _gone._

Everyone freezes. 

_“Silver? ” _ Sonic asks, staring at the younger hedgehog. The time traveler doesn’t respond. _“ Are you—” _

He doesn't get to finish his question.

With a tremor, the mindscape glitches, colors stuttering and inverting. Parts of the ground begin to vanish, revealing a void below. Lightning flashes above, a momentary burst of light cleaving through the encroaching darkness. 

_“S-Sonic…”_ Silver slurs, teetering on his feet. He glances over at the blue speedster, an ill expression on his face. _“I don’t feel so good.”_ Hardly a second after he speaks, the time traveler’s eyes roll back and he keels over.

Sonic manages to catch him. _“ Silver? SILVER!” _ He shouts, trying to wake the younger hedgehog. Green eyes dart around frantically. The chasms in the ground grow larger. Too soon, Sonic starts to feel light-headed, black spots appearing on the edges of his vision. When another earthquake rocks the mindscape, he’s too weak to stay standing. The ground rushes up to meet him and Silver. 

Red irises shrink to pinpoints. Shadow races over just as another lightning bolt arcs across the sky. 

_“ Sh-Shadow…” _ Sonic breathes out. His arms are still wrapped tight around Silver, who lies eerily still. _“ The console… You have to… Paradox…” _

Green eyes slip closed. At once, Shadow grabs his rival and starts shaking him. _“Faker? Faker, wake up! Damn it, you can’t do this again! SONIC!”_

The reply is almost too quiet to hear. _“Hurry…”_

This time, Shadow lets go and bolts upright. He frantically dashes over to the control hub… and freezes when he discovers the button crushed into an unusable mess. His heart skips a beat.

_Maybe, maybe…!_

Out of options, the hedgehog raises a hand over the destroyed button. And his fingers… _phase through_ the pedestal. 

Time stops. Shadow stares at his hand. The blood in his veins turns to ice.

He can see _through_ his hand. 

_Tick, tick…_

The sound of something breaking snaps the alien hybrid from his daze. Instantly, he whips up and sees the darkened screen crumbling into pieces. _Everything_ is crumbling. The very mindscape itself is being torn apart, jagged cracks widening with every quake. A large fissure forms with the latest tremor, dangerously close to Sonic and Silver. 

Heart pounding, Shadow dashes over to the others. Seizing both of them, he returns to the console, where the damage is the least severe. He kneels to the ground, Sonic and Silver unconscious on either side of him. With every gasp for air, his vision wobbles. 

_NO, I can’t…! I HAVE to…!_

But the ice crawls up his body, the numbness rapidly spreading. He can’t feel his legs or arms, the limbs completely transparent at this point. His lips move but no sound comes from them. 

He’s never been one to give up. Never been afraid of dying. But lying numb on the floor, trapped in a foreign mind and body with two corpses beside him, Shadow _does not know what to do._ As reality deteriorates around him, he is stripped down to his barest form. A lost boy, looking for _anyone_ to help him.

_Please… Please help us!_

The last Shadow sees before the darkness overtakes him is a flicker of white. In his final moments, he feels _someone_ holding him safe and warm.

* * *

On the other side of a broken window, the final fragments of Paradox’s inhibitor rings embed themselves into the metallic walls. 

For a second, there is nothing. No sound. No movement. An intermission between the acts of a play. His body feels numb. His mind is numb. A silence as everyone watches in fear.

And then, like ripping off a too-tight bandage bound around his wrists, the chaos energy in the air _impales_ his body. 

Paradox releases a blood-curdling shriek as fiery daggers stab into his flesh from all directions. He collapses to his knees, clutching his head with one set of arms and squeezing his abdomen with the other. His friends call his name— _names_ —but he can’t hear them over the sound of his blood roaring in his ears. Acid devours his veins.

He can’t think. Can’t breathe. Three silenced voices desperately plead for relief but the unending torment is deaf. His head feels like it’s splitting open, his vision blurring as hot tears spill down his face. Paradox yanks at his quills, his fur, _anything_ to make it _stop._ As he claws at his scalp, rips appear at the ends of his gloves as talons pierce through the fabric. 

_“T—“_ his tongue feels entangled and torn. _“T_ ** _AI—”_ **

He doesn't finish. Doesn’t hear the response. A surge of agony chokes him, scorching pain building into a sledgehammer pounding on his neck. Quivering hands fly up to the site on pure reflex as more screams tear and gurgle from his lips. Every bone feels like a piece of jagged glass, writhing violently within his body. Vertebrae dig into flesh, forcibly pushed and pulled out of their natural position. Until eventually, _something_ gives.

With an audible crack, his neck snaps. The giant fusion slumps over, head at a painful angle and arms hanging limp. Blue quills spill down like a veil, concealing his face. A chest heaves up and down with every shallow breath, shoulders shivering like withered leaves. 

Nobody utters a word. Stillness slams down a falling asteroid, sending a torrent of ash that immobilizes everyone. The thought to move, to speak, passes through multiple minds but the silence remains. 

_Tick…_

_“...Guys?”_

_Tick…_

_“Paradox?”_

Quiet footsteps sound as Tails hazards a step towards the fusion. Then another. And another. And—

A head snaps upright. Immediately, shrieks and gasps erupt around the room.

Instead of one face, there are _three._ A single, gaping maw stretches across all three faces, razor-sharp teeth crammed into any available space. Three pairs of blank, white eyes are smashed together, eye sockets stretched out to fit two eyes instead of one. Saliva sprays as a higher-pitched wail lowers to a guttural growl. Quills flare as the body convulses uncontrollably, four hands clutching at the head. With loud cracks, the fusion’s skull fractures into burning splinters before reforming into three separate skulls. The three grind against one another as muscle and fur hastily fill in the space, the bare bone visible for several moments. There’s the horrible noise of flesh being squished and prodded as a single head is ripped into three, each one thrashing about. One growl splits into a three-part discord. Blinded by pain, one of the heads bites down on an arm, fangs driving into flesh. The taste of salt and rust floods one of three tongues.

 _“STOP!”_ someone cries out, scrambling closer. The sound reverberates around the metal room, hammering into raw and sensitive eardrums. Paradox recoils, jaw opening to cry out once more. One of his hands claws into a nearby wall, gouging red into the reinforced metal.

Just as the heads finish forming, another inferno ignites on the hedgehog’s back. Spine arching, a million needles jab into, or rather _out of,_ his flesh. Red and green coat his fingertips as Paradox scrapes at the newly-erupted quills, the pain so unbearable that he’s become desensitized. He’s slicing through his own skin and he feels _nothing._

Pressure builds around the fusion’s midsection, below his arms. Something presses against his skin from within, the movement visible even through his fur. Flesh bulges out on either side of his torso, expanding larger and larger, before rupturing. Two colors of blood burst from the pulsating cysts as a third pair of arms emerges. The blood-stained limbs sag on the floor as Paradox trembles, his heart threatening to break through his ribs.

For another moment, anguished gasps and whimpers echo through the room as lungs struggle for air. The rest of the team prays silently that the worst of it is over, unwilling to speak the words into existence. Then the fusion flinches, falling forward onto all six of his hands. The stench of fear, blood, and sweat is overwhelming. 

There’s a beat. Second intermission. The floor groans under Paradox. Blood streams down, rivers of red and green staining blue. Another moment. The floor abruptly dents. 

Muscles creak and bones ripple as the fusion arches up, up, _up._ Soaked quills stiffen as faces curl in on themselves. Organs enlarge, shoving up painfully against ribs. Bone rapidly shatters and heals in a twisted loop as Paradox’s skeleton expands, some sections growing faster than others. Each nerve is pinched and contorted but the pain burns so hot that nothing registers anymore. The remains of bloodied gloves are shredded to pieces. His heart is pounding so fast that the beats are indistinguishable from each other, the organ desperately trying to keep up with the unnatural growth. Trembling under their own weight, the fusion’s legs give out, slipping and slamming into one of the large metal supports in the room. The steel beam folds like papier-mâché.

Almost instantly, the entire structure starts to shudder and quake. The part of the ceiling where the support once stood caves in. Like dominoes, the rest of the ceiling begins to buckle. Dust and debris rain down in dangerous drops, falling metal and light fixtures. 

A gloved hand grabs Tails’s arm. Blaze. _“TAILS! We must go!”_ There’s an ear-splitting screech as blue quills puncture and tear through the ceiling. Behind her, Knuckles scoops Amy into his arms as Omega shields Rouge from a falling piece of debris. 

_“NO! I’m not leaving him!”_ Tails strains against her grasp.

Blaze looks up as the fusion howls once more, a deafening, discordant melody of agony. “ _Silver…_ ” she whispers before shaking her head. Gold eyes glare at Tails. _“If we do not leave now, there is no chance of helping them later!”_ The princess retorts, precious time slipping by. But Tails continues to struggle against her. 

“STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY IS LESS THAN 50%,” Omega announces.

 _“COME ON!”_ Knuckles bellows. 

With a frustrated hiss, Blaze snatches up the kit and runs after the others. 

“PARADOX!” the fox screeches, frantically trying to break free. The fusion appears startled by the sound, all six eyes jerking forward. A keening cry escapes from three mouths, a heart-breaking lament. Tails wrestles a hand free and reaches towards him, baby blue eyes overflowing with tears. For a split second, reality slows to a standstill as a little boy cries out to his brother. But then a groan from above snaps time back into motion. With a deafening crash, the whole ceiling comes crashing down onto Paradox, burying him alive. 

A name tears itself from Tails’s lips. 

_“SONIC!”_

Blaze forces herself not to look back as she carries Tails out of the building, her arms wrapped tight and her eyes cloudy. Don’t let him go. Don’t break. You have to _stay strong._ It isn’t until they are safely evacuated outside with the others that she stops. Tails escapes from her grip, but Knuckles quickly catches him. He knows full well that the kit would rush back into the base without a second thought. 

With bated breath, the group stares back at the base. The eye of the hurricane passes over. 

Final intermission. 

_Tick…_

_Tick…_

**_Tock._ **

With one, final screech, the base crumbles. Smoke and dust explode through the air, provoking coughs and tears. A moment later, a monster rises above the wreckage, casting a massive, dark shadow on those below. Unhinging its three enormous jaws, it unleashes a roar that makes the very earth tremble. 

_Calamity_ has come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A special thanks to Zoom Boy (https://thundercloud58.tumblr.com/) for being a guest artist for this chapter.


	9. Pandora's Box

Blackness eats and claws away at the colors of the mindscape like a parasite, leaving behind an empty ravine that dropped into a bottomless void.

His fingers tighten on the threads, color spreading from them in a desperate fight against the approaching darkness. 

The outside world was lost, the screen cracked and shattered. 

As another bellow rocks the mindscape, he grits his teeth against the pressure, trying to hold strong. Without thinking, his arm wraps tighter around three little orbs, pulling them closer to his chest.

_What was happening…?_

* * *

The earth shudders as the creature takes a step, padding forward with its extra arms. Immediately it cries out, the minor action proving to be agony. Once freed from the confines of the decimated base, the fusion heaves out a trembling sigh, hunches over, and moves no more. Three sets of white eyes gaze downward blankly. 

Silence descends as the last of the shockwaves fizzle out, the only sound being the behemoth’s feeble breaths. 

Tails coughs, his throat burning from both screams and dust. He leans forward, as if to take a step, before abruptly stopping. Blue eyes stare at the… _thing_ before them. Could he even call it ‘Paradox’ anymore? Did it still know him? Were Sonic, Shadow, and Silver still in there, _somewhere?_ Was this… _it?_ That _thing_ that had taken control that morning at the fridge? 

Were they… _too late?_

‘Paradox’ answers the unspoken question with ragged gasps.

Knuckles comes up behind Tails quietly, placing a large hand on his shoulder. The kit doesn’t respond, eyes still staring blankly ahead. Blood-stained quills and fur. Eight, oversized limbs sprawled out like a giant spider. And three heads stitched to the same body.

 _“Tails?”_

Silence again.

With a growl, Knuckles spins the fox around to face him. The expression on his face is one that the guardian wished he could have lived without seeing. _“Tails!”_

Growling, the echidna opens his mouth to yell at the kit once more. But before he can speak, the hum of a familiar aircraft arrests his attention. Instantly, he and the others snap towards the noise to see a familiar villain riding in his Egg Mobile.

 _“Eggman! But how?”_ Amy questions, flabbergasted. Whatever biting retort the group expects from the human, it is not what ultimately comes from his mouth.

 _“Well…”_ he comments, as if examining a piece of produce at the grocery store, “This is unexpected.”

For five whole seconds, nobody says a word. Then, like a dam that has suddenly burst, tempers overflow their banks. 

_“What do you mean, ‘This is unexpected’!?”_ Knuckles yells, fists clenched. _”This is YOUR fault!”_

“Correction, this is the _rat’s_ fault. Although…” Eggman notes darkly, observing the remnants of his base with a grim expression. “It isn’t much of a rat anymore.”

 _“What have you done to them?!”_ Blaze interrogates, palms burning with flames. 

In the distance, the creature gives a twitch.

Eggman whirls to face the furious feline. _“Have you listened to anything I just said?_ I’ve done nothing at all. If that infuriating fusion had simply _obeyed my directions and remained still,_ this _wouldn’t_ have happened.”

 _“You were trying to KILL THEM!”_ Rouge emphasizes. Next to her, Omega raises his cannons to fire. 

“My _modus operandi,_ really. Really, you should expect this by—”

 _“Would you SHUT UP?!”_ Knuckles interrupts, his loud volume causing everyone to flinch. The creature twitches again. 

Eggman runs his fingers through his mustache, flagrantly ignoring the interruption. “—by now. It seems that when the extraction was interrupted, instead of the energy dispersing like it would have normally, the fusion _absorbed_ both its stolen energy _and_ the energy of the emeralds. Not even _Chaos_ would be able to achieve such a feat. Truly _fascinating.”_ The Egg Mobile drifts closer to the creature, Eggman leaning forward in his seat. Tinted lenses hide an eerie curiosity. “Its inhibitor rings appear to have overloaded upon receiving all that energy, which makes it even _more_ curious as to _how_ it's keeping itself together. No one has been able to study the effects of such an enormous amount of chaos energy on a living thing, _until now. A once in a lifetime opportun—_ “

 _“ENOUGH!”_ Without warning, Knuckles surges toward the scientist. The rest of the group’s warnings fall on deaf ears, their friend too consumed by his rage. Grabbing a large piece of sheet metal, the echidna winds up and hurls the projectile toward Eggman. 

Like so many things done in haste, this simple action provokes an unforeseen reaction.

The projectile makes contact. And the Egg Mobile is sent careening straight into one of three snouts.

With a deafening roar, the monster bolts upright, far too quickly for something its size. It recoils with a triadic whine, stumbling away from the group and clutching its impacted head. In its attempt to retreat from the source of pain, it backs into the remains of the base. Jagged debris stabs into the fusion’s sensitive back, wet blood still staining the area. It cries out again, falling forward, and its six giant hands swipe blindly to right itself.

Still unbalanced, Eggman is unable to move out of the way in time. One hit from a clawed hand and the scientist goes careening into the sky, vanishing in a twinkle of light. 

For a single moment, the group stares transfixed on the behemoth before them. Then a massive hand cracks the earth and snaps everyone back into focus. Icy dread fills the air as the monster lurches closer. Hearts beating a furious tempo, the group turns to flee, the discord of toppled trees behind them. The titan looses another wail. Birds and other wildlife flee for their lives.

Violet eyes narrow as Knuckles keeps pace with the others, the burden he carries not slowing him down in the slightest. At the head of the pack, Blaze leads them through the maze of trees. Time rushes past in a wave, only a single thought in each mind: _run._ It isn’t until the tremors fade that the group finally stops to catch their breath, a million years away from where they started. Rouge hovers in the air, scouting back, just as Knuckles sets Tails down. The fox’s eyes are still unfocused. In the distance, a roar echoes. 

_“Tails,”_ Knuckles says, staring at the kit. No reaction. _“Tails!”_

With silent footfalls, Amy comes up next to the echidna. “Knuckles…” she utters, a frown on her muzzle. She gently takes the guardian’s arm, tears in her eyes. “Please, he’s been through—”

 _“We ALL have!”_ Knuckles cuts her off, tearing his arm away. The rest of the group gapes at him, shock and sympathy equally represented. “Yes, this is sad, but that doesn’t change the fact that _we still have to do something! We’ll NEVER get them back if we just stand here and cry!”_ The echidna pivots towards Tails. “You think this is your fault. But it’s OUR faults too for not stepping in. Making you think that you had to depend on Eggman. Overworking yourself. We _can’t_ change what’s already happened but _we can do something NOW.”_

Knuckles pauses, sucking in a breath. When he speaks again, there is a rare tenderness to his tone. _“Please. We need you here._ So we can _fix this._ _Together.”_

The echidna closes his mouth, tightness building in his throat. There’s a beat. A suspension. An eternity. All eyes are glued to yellow and white fur, searching for _anything_ at all.

Blue eyes take a small, unnoticed step back into focus. 

_“How…”_ a voice whispers, _“How can you be sure of that?”_

Knuckles’s gaze softens. “Because I _trust_ you. We _all_ do.”

The fox’s namesakes twitch. Carefully, Knuckles lowers a hand onto the kit’s shoulder. 

“We _do._ And I know that _they_ do too.”

Slowly, Tails scans the faces around him. The fragile hope that burns in spite of fatigue and logic. Lowering his head, the fox swallows, his arms hanging by his sides. Another beat passes. Then suddenly, the kit’s hands ball into fists and his head snaps back up. He looks directly at Knuckles, a new clarity in his blue irises. 

“You’re right. We can’t be standing around here.” Namesakes swishing, Tails turns to the rest of the group. Knuckles nods at him. 

“Any ideas?”

A contemplative look passes over the kit’s face for a moment, thumb and forefinger under his chin. “Paradox _should have_ defused when he absorbed all that chaos energy. Sure, it wouldn’t have been _pretty_ but each of their chaos signatures and maximum inputs are very different. They _should_ _have_ been split apart.” Tails pauses, an ear flopping to the side. “But they _didn’t._ And still _won’t._ _Something_ is keeping them together and unless we figure out what it is, they’re doomed.”

“They must be in so much pain right now…” Amy comments, folding her hands over her chest. “How are we going to take the energy away?” She glances sadly at Knuckles. “The Master Emerald is broken.”

“I don’t think we’ll have a hard time figuring out an alternative route,” a voice chimes in from above. The group looks up in surprise. 

“What?”

Rouge lands next to Amy, a sly smile on her face. “Found where the Chaos Emeralds are,” she states. “They didn’t get left under a bunch of rubble.”

“Where are they?” Tails inquires. The bat’s grin falls.

“I couldn’t get a good look but…” Rouge begins, tone completely serious. “I saw _something_ flashing on Paradox’s back. Something tells me that _isn’t_ just a trick of the light. I think the emeralds are stuck in his quills.”

Amy blinks. “How?” At Rouge’s shrug, the hedgehog’s confusion only grows. 

“If he’s in contact with the Chaos Emeralds, he must be absorbing their energy too,” Tails ponders aloud, mulling over this information. Suddenly, his eyes widen in understanding. “Wait, _that’s it!_ That’s why he turned into that!” In an instant, the fox pivots to face the whole group. “Paradox absorbed too much chaos energy too quickly. So his body is mutating in an attempt to contain it. If we take that energy away, he should return to normal.”

Omega’s optics narrow a fraction. “VAGUE TERMINOLOGY. DEFINE ‘NORMAL’ WITHIN THIS CONTEXT. WILL THE FUSION SPLIT INTO HIS COMPONENT PARTS?”

The tips of yellow ears fold down. “I… I don’t…”

“The specifics matter little here,” Blaze interjects. “Our goal is to help Paradox. And I believe _I_ can assist with that.” In a flourish of vermillion, a ribbon of fire swirls around the princess. Floating in the flames are seven gems, familiar in color but different in shape. 

Tails gasps. _“Are those the—!?”_

Blaze nods. “Yes. They are not to be wielded recklessly, but I believe this would justify their use.” Her next words are spoken with a quiet solemness. “This must be the calamity that I was brought here to stop. I can only hope that I am not too late.”

“There’s _always_ hope!” Amy encourages. Gold irises meet mint-colored ones. Slowly, a tiny smile forms on Blaze’s muzzle. Amy beams again before determination flashes on her face. _“Alright!_ Here’s the plan! Blaze, you distract Paradox. Fly up to him and get his attention. The rest of us will get the emeralds. Everyone got it?” After a chorus of acknowledgement, the group charges back towards the fusion.

But not long after they start moving, _something_ makes violet eyes widen. Despite his confusion, Knuckles forges ahead, still focused on helping Paradox. But as vegetation snaps under his shoes, the guardian is forced to stop. 

Rainforests are hot and humid. They are some of the warmest places on the planet. And yet, as Knuckles stands in the midst of one, he shivers slightly. He forces a breath.

Something is very, very _wrong._

“Knuckles? What’s wrong?” Amy inquires, shaking the echidna back to reality. Knuckles blinks. 

“SENSORS INDICATE LEVELS OF CHAOS ENERGY DROPPING,” Omega states. 

“What?” Tails peers down, still hovering in the air. “How is that… _Oh no…”_

In a streak of yellow, the fox zooms ahead. The others are forced to follow after, confusion growing on their faces. With every step, dried leaves fall from the canopy. As the sound of loud, trembling breaths reaches their ears, more and more green vanishes from the forest. When the enormous form of the group’s former friend comes into view, the monster is framed by trampled trees. With its three heads on the ground and its eyes half-lidded, the fusion appears to be resting. Each inhale shakes its entire body, as if its lungs were straining beyond capacity just to stay alive. All around it, the sickly shade of rot creeps across the plants like a blight.

It takes everything for Knuckles not to react as he feels the cold scrape across his skin. Even with their lowered chaos sensitivity, the others still shiver. Looking down, Tails watches as the decay spreads visibly beneath his feet. He kneels down, his hands cradling a tiny, wilting sunflower. His breath quickens. 

No wonder the emeralds were stuck: Paradox’s body had become a magnet for chaos energy, drawing in from every corner of its location. _How_ could they be absorbing the energy from the Chaos Emeralds _and_ the energy in the environment around them? What was the _limit? How much more could their body take? What would happen if they reached their limit?_

Tails swallows roughly. He _didn’t_ want to know the answer to that. In the back of his mind, a timer ticks down.

Blaze looks around with a bewildered expression, the cat unaffected by the drain. “What’s happening?” she asks, glancing down at Tails.

The fox glances up. “It’s Paradox. He’s sucking the chaos energy from his surroundings. Including _us.”_

Blaze’s eyes widen at once. Her head snaps up, immediately noticing the unhealthy pallor on her friends’ faces. Anxiety colors her expression before being replaced with resolve. She _isn’t_ going to stand around here while they continue to suffer! _All_ of them! “I leave the Chaos Emeralds to you!” the princess declares. 

_“Wait, Blaze, don’t—!”_

Before Tails can finish speaking, the princess leaps into the air, the Sol Emeralds enveloping her body in magenta flame. And then, like a firework, the chrysalis bursts to reveal Burning Blaze. The flash of vermillion is so bright that it causes the others to shield their gazes from the intense light. 

Three pairs of eyes are not so lucky. 

With a strangled hiss, the monster flinches. Its spine arches inward, six hands clawing at its eyes and quills digging into its back. The creature howls, faces contorted in pain. More wilted leaves rain down from above, a shower of withered ochre.

Rouge’s eyes widen. She climbs higher, hovering in line with Blaze. _“Don’t let this chance slip away!”_ the bat shouts. _“Blaze, keep the boys distracted!”_ With a flap of her wings, the spy flies towards one of the fusion’s massive heads, her gaze locked on a beacon of yellow. At the same time, Tails drops Knuckles onto a quill-covered back, where two dots of white and purple contrast the still-bloodied navy. On the ground, Amy and Omega dash towards the creature’s legs, locating two more emeralds on its knees.

As the others scramble for the emeralds, Blaze continues emitting disorienting flashes of fire. Hisses switch into whimpers as white eyes begin to water under the bright light. 

Blaze suddenly stops, her mouth agape. Pupils like pin-points stare at the quivering monster, who almost seems to be trying to make itself smaller. Navy ears are pressed flat against three skulls. 

_Why… Why isn't he fighting back?_

_“Blaze!”_ Amy exclaims, grip tightening around the emerald in her hand. _“You have to keep—WHOA!”_ The pink hedgehog gasps, grabbing onto long fur, as the monster’s legs begin to move. But her surprise turns to terror as she realizes that the legs are straightening out. Quills flex as the bend in the spine deepens, all three heads curling in.

From a vantage point in the sky, surprise turns to terror as realization occurs. Even in this mutated body, the fox _recognizes_ those movements. He’s seen them many times. 

_“RUN!”_ Tails shrieks. The desperation in his tone prompts the others to obey without question. Rouge, Tails, and Blaze hastily pick up their friends, before flying away as fast as they possibly can. Hearts pound as the group lands roughly on the ground, barely managing to avoid being crushed as a sphere of razor-sharp quills abruptly launches forward. Trunks splinter and roots groan as the wrecking ball tears through the jungle, gouging a deep furrow into the soil. So immense and swift is the destruction that the group can only gape in both terror and awe. But as the monster’s path of ruin continues, moving away from the center of the rainforest, Tails recalls an important piece of information. 

Time _stops._

 _Is this what you felt?_ The fox thinks, blood like ice in his veins. _When the explosion that started ALL of this happened? You didn’t know what you were doing and yet, you acted. To save them. To save US._

Out of nowhere, Tails abruptly takes to the air. At once, his friends call out to him. 

_“Tails, where are you going?!”_

_“I’m getting the Tornado! There are towns on the edge of the forest!”_

The reaction is immediate. But Tails ignores them, flying ahead. Until suddenly, someone cuts in front of him. Blaze’s eyes are narrowed, her aura flaring like a wildfire. 

“Let _me_ handle Paradox,” she asserts, tone brisk and firm. “I will keep him away from the towns. You and the others need to work on a solution.” Without giving the kit a chance to respond, Blaze takes off, cloaked with fire. The entire exchange is so quick that Tails is left hovering there blankly. Someone else darts up beside him. 

“She’s right, Tails,” Rouge declares before glancing down at the others. “How many emeralds do we have?”

“TOTAL EMERALD COUNT IS SIX,” Omega relays. Rouge bites back a swear. 

“Where’s the last one?”

“THE LAST EMERALD IS ATTACHED TO THE FUSION’S CHEST.” 

This time, Rouge doesn’t catch the expletive that tumbles from her lips. “Alright,” she utters wearily before drawing in a deep breath. “I guess we’re following the big guy too.” With those words, the bat snatches up Omega and flies after Blaze. Tails simply blinks before releasing a sigh. In the distance, streaks of vivid vermillion contrast with dull green.

“Well, then…” he huffs, seizing both Amy and Knuckles. _“Here we go again.”_

* * *

For once, he’s glad that he doesn’t have a body. If he did, his hands would have been raw and bleeding at this point. Even so, the threads still slice painfully into his glowing fingers. 

It _hurts._ He’s trying his best to cling to the threads but all of this is too much, _too much._ For each seam he manages to fix, the darkness rips apart two. Hope shrinks as the void grows larger, creeping even closer. Waves as big as mountains gnaw away at the only island in the middle of an infinite ocean. A hurricane churns the waters, and he barely manages to hold on.

There’s water soaking his white fur and quills, and he doesn’t know if it’s because of the rain or his tears. Maybe both. He doesn’t remember when he started crying. Somewhere, giant, ancient trees are snapped like twigs. With the button destroyed, their disfigured body moves on pure instinct, a corrupted mass of flesh and chaos. Everything is too loud and too bright and too hot.

He doesn’t know how to stop this. 

The infection creeps closer. 

Like with every time before, he throws his aura outward again. Light spreads across the floor of the mindscape, pushing back the darkness. Fissures and cracks begin to knit back together. A fragile glimmer of hope ignites against all odds as more of the area is repaired. _Yes, yes, it’s working, just a little—_

In one second, an earthquake destroys all of his work. Out of nowhere, a roar ravages the mindscape, a blade of scorching hot fire tearing across the fragmented landscape. A shriek tears from his lips before he can stop it. _Hurts, hurts, everything HURTS!_ Instinctively, his hands fly up to grab his head. And everything stops. 

In slow motion, the three orbs slip out of his grip. For a split second, red, blue, and yellow flicker weakly in front of him, hovering like paper lanterns. And then reality slams harshly back into motion.

 **“** ** _NO!_ ** **”** he scrambles after them, but he’s already too late. He watches helplessly as the orbs _—their SOULS—_ are engulfed by the void. 

He can’t breathe. 

_“N-No…”_ he whispers, staring into the darkness below. Above, the storm continues to pour rain down below. _“No, no, no, no!”_ Heart pounding, he searches the murky blackness for any sign of red, blue, or yellow. 

_No, this isn’t happening, they can’t be gone, no, no, no, NO!_

But the only thing he sees is a void of chaos. 

Suddenly, everything seems quiet. The storm fades into the background. Seams unravel as threads are let go. Tremors shake even stronger than before but he doesn’t even blink.

Numb. He’s felt numb before. But this, _this,_ is worse than anything he’s ever experienced.

_One, two, three, four._

He _screams._

* * *

As princess, Blaze was taught certain skills that would be invaluable in ruling an empire. How to settle a dispute between two parties. How to compromise. How to respectfully say no without destroying an alliance. While these skills were intended to assist her in being a great ruler, the cat found that they were just as useful outside of the palace.

Hovering in the air, hands thrown over her mouth, Blaze remembers a skill that she has become increasingly familiar with. 

How to stay calm while the rest of the world is crumbling. 

It had stopped moving forward, ceasing its destruction. That was right, she _meant_ to do that.

_But—_

The stench of burnt quills fills the air as a massive body writhes in pain. Three jaws unleash an echoing, discordant wail that shakes the earth.

_—she didn’t mean to do THIS._

_You should have been paying attention, should have been more focused, should have…!_

Through the fog, the sound of flapping wings and rotating tails reaches her ears. 

_“BLAZE!”_ somebody screeches, and the princess slams back into focus. Just in time to see a giant, clawed hand barreling straight for her. 

A yelp tumbles from her lips as gigantic fingers coil painfully around her body. Blaze struggles to escape but the hand clamps down tighter and tighter. Her lungs are squashed flat, the air being crushed out of them. Muscles are crinkled like a piece of paper. And her heartbeat, deafening in her ears, as she finally glances up. Her own, terrified expression looks back at her, reflected in six white voids. 

_I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’M SORRY…!_

The calamity stares at her with its bared fangs, all of its heads locked on the figure in its grasp. Tears stream down like waterfalls but the creature is chillingly still. Its jaws work independently, grinding and clicking in an attempt to form… _something._

For the rest of her life, this sound will be _seared_ into her memory. Like gravel and metal grinding against each other, its voice is made up of three, desynchronized instruments in echoing disharmony. 

**“Ģ̷̛̞̙͓̪̭̪̬̉͗̆͗͊Ở̴̰̣̗͎͙͔̫̲̤̜̂̍͊̐̒N̵͔̥̎̓̆͛̒̈́̓̆̇͗͝͝Ě̷̃̋̋͆͑̕͜.̶̭̠̭̗͎͐̊̾͐̅̀͜."**

Her life feels so very, very _small._

With a roar, the calamity begins to pry its maw wide open, flecks of saliva coating its fangs. The orb of chaos expands to a colossal size, sparks of electricity arcing everywhere. 

Reality slows to a crawl.

A split second before the blast fires, red and pink streaks cut through the air. 

_Collision._

Like releasing a stretched bow, the bomb is launched. An inferno of red, cyan, and blue bleeds across the sky as the orb detonates, the colors lingering for several moments. 

Heart racing with fear and panic, Blaze nearly forgets about her ability to fly in this form. She doesn’t have time to recover as a scream reaches her ears. By some miracle, Blaze manages to catch the falling Amy, the hedgehog clutching her hammer. A sound akin to cannon fire rings above as the two girls lower to the ground, the older of the two heaving out an exhausted sigh as the Sol Emeralds’ power leaves her. Two sets of weary eyes watch in terror as Rouge and Tails weave around navy quills—dried blood still visible—as they try to steal the behemoth’s attention. Held tightly in Rouge’s grip, Omega fires another blast of lasers, the attacks deliberately aimed to miss. The flyers narrowly avoid an attack as the monster’s left head suddenly lurches towards them. Removing a hand from the chin of its center head, the creature unleashes an ear-splitting howl. Its six eyes narrow as it attempts to swat the three out of the sky.

With their gazes fixed on Tails, Rouge, and Omega, Amy and Blaze do not notice the red dot on the monster’s chest. Nor do they notice the tiny green light pulsating in the midst of white fur.

A spiked fist curls tightly around a smooth, green surface. And then, with a triumphant shout, the emerald is wrenched from the fusion’s chest. Immediately, the giant wails in agony, as if part of its soul has been ripped away. It staggers back, sending Rouge, Omega, and Tails hurtling through the air and Knuckles plummeting towards the ground. The jewel tumbles from the echidna’s grasp, and he frantically hurries to grab it. By the time he grabs the gemstone, it’s already too late for him to glide to safety. He braces himself for impact.

The impact never comes. Knuckles lets out a grunt as he is abruptly jerked upwards, his eyes snapping up.

_“TAILS!”_

_“I GOT YOU! HOLD ON!!”_

Muscles straining, Tails dodges between giant flailing limbs. He’s running on pure adrenaline now, exhaustion and fear and anxiety weighing him down but he _can’t_ let go. The moment his feet touch the dried earth, he collapses, lungs burning. Next to him, Knuckles struggles to catch his breath. The final Chaos Emerald is clutched tightly in his hand.

The group doesn’t dare to breathe as the monster’s two upper pairs of arms squeeze tightly around its chest, its entire form twitching and seizing. A white aura begins to envelop its body, tears continuing to run down lowered heads.

A lifetime ticks by in a single, terrifying beat. 

_One…_

The aura intensifies.

_Two…_

But then, just as hope kindles, the light abruptly vanishes. And six hearts stop as another roar echoes across the ravaged land.

* * *

It is only by the nature of his being that he notices a change in the destroyed mindscape. Everything else feels distant and detached, his form shuddering and his throat hoarse. But a shifting of chaos energy makes him gasp in surprise. Eyes widening, he automatically glances to the side, forgetting that the screen is gone. 

He’s blind. He doesn’t know what’s happening out there but _something is_ and it’s the _Chaos Emeralds._ Immediately, he tries to force the chaos away, fearing the worst. But his panic turns to bewilderment when he realizes that the energy isn’t pushing against him. Rather, it’s pulling _away._

 _“What?”_ he blinks, watching as the energy recedes. Reaching out again, he tries to figure what is happening. As the realization comes, a hopeful smile begins to stretch across his face. The mindscape is knitting itself back together! _He would see them again!_

_It’s working, it’s working, it’s—!_

Suddenly, a piece of newly-repaired ground crumbles into nothing. Hardly a moment later, another piece crumbles. And _another._

He doesn’t understand. 

_Why isn’t it…_

A freshly-formed cloud disintegrates, swirls back into form, and then fizzles out again, endlessly looping before his eyes.

_...permanent?_

As the mindscape repeats its final moments, he finally _understands. It’s broken. Too broken._ Like a rubber band that’s been stretched too far. A snow-globe so cracked that no matter how much you try to seal it, it still leaks. At this rate, the mindscape would wear itself down to the point of no return, ending all of their lives without a second thought. Placing a hand on the floor, his understanding is further cemented. The energy that once made up this place was now volatile. Corrupted. It couldn’t—wouldn’t—follow his orders anymore.

_It won’t be long before…!_

His gaze wanders the chaos, looking in vain to spot his three lost lights. He feels his eyes water again, feels his heart burn. And across the barren land, he spots the broken pedestal. He swallows.

He knows what he has to do.

Steeling himself, he rushes toward the pedestal. The mindscape seems to know what he’s trying to do, rippling under his steps. Large waves of darkness attempt to block his path, but he will _not_ be deterred. Summoning his psychokinesis, he leaps into the air, dodging the obstacles with ease. Grunting, he lands roughly next to the console and immediately raises his hands over the demolished button. But just as his fingers are about to connect with the cracked surface, his arms lock in place. 

_N-No!_ He screams, fighting to follow through. But his arms won’t move. _Why can’t I…?!_

The answer crashes into him. 

_I… I don’t want to let them go._

Far away, the ocean churns. 

_They’re mine. MINE. Mine, mine, mine, I have to protect them, they're my—_

The ground abruptly shakes below his feet. With a loud crack, the floor shutters and splits, twisting and conforming beyond its natural state. His feet slip on the soaked ground, sending him crashing down hard. Shuddering, he wipes his face, pushing himself up into a sitting position. Destruction roars all around him. 

Slowly, he gazes down at his glowing form. It is the only source of light left in this fracturing world. The console sits dark and broken. 

_I-I…_

He lets out a shuddering exhale.

_I can’t do it._

The light flickers. 

_I have to protect them. Protect, protect, protect, PROTECT, I don’t want to…_

Somewhere in the distance, whispers cut through the darkness. His ears perk up, swiveling to pick up _something_ understandable. Of the words that make it through, there is one in particular that makes his breath hitch. 

**_“—TAILS!”_ **

He could _never_ forget that name.

...If he doesn’t do something now, they, his— _their_ friends, will be lost. He… He _couldn’t_ lose _both._

With a grave expression, he forces himself back up to his feet. His heart—not a _real_ heart, you don’t have a body remember—beats loud in his ears but he ignores it. Closing his eyes, he draws in a deep breath. When he opens his eyes, there is not a hint of weakness in them.

_This is… This is the only way. I HAVE to do this. For all of them. It doesn’t matter what I want._

Mustering all of his strength, he brings both hands down on the console. 

It _shatters._

And everything goes white.

* * *

A massive palm slams down, flattening the earth. Ears ringing, Knuckles manages to jump out of the way, dragging Tails with him. A damaged Omega—plating smashed and wires exposed—cradles an unconscious Rouge while Amy pulls an exhausted Blaze out of danger.

The calamity roars, a cacophony of rage and agony that makes the ground tremble yet again. 

Knuckles runs into the jungle, the rest of the group hurrying to keep up. Everything fades into the background as instinct takes over. Jump over the rock. Duck under the fallen tree. _Don’t_ think about the monster chasing after you. 

The last of the echidnas is a survivor. He had to be. There was no one else left.

Violet irises peer back, checking to see if anyone has fallen behind. Nobody has. _Yet._

_Don’t think about that. Stay in the present._

Another tremor shakes the ground, causing Knuckles to stumble slightly. The guardian forces in a breath, his body protesting every step. His legs feel like lead. 

_Why… Why is it suddenly so hard to move? Unless…_

Dried leaves crackle under his feet. The decay slithers down tree trunks, rot tainting the wood a different color. Tails shivers in his arms.

The chill digging into his skin settles on the echidna’s bones.

_N-No, keep running, keep running. Don’t stop, you can’t, you have to—_

Suddenly, four hands smash into the soil, forming a wall of sorts. Amy screams, a shrill and piercing cry. Above, ‘Paradox’ howls again, its three heads focused on the group. The center mouth begins to open wide, a chillingly familiar image. 

Blood turns to ice. 

_“THERE!”_ Knuckles shouts, spotting an opening. _Run, they have to run, they have to… “HURRY!”_

Lungs burning, the rest of the group moves towards the exit. But exhaustion slows them down, energy being sucked from their very bodies. Even so, they push on, still fighting to escape.

Ears folded down, the fusion throws its upper pair of arms out. White energy, flecked with blue, cyan, and red, crackles in front of the two palms. Clawed hands close around the energy as it stretches out into two, razor-sharp spears. 

The only warning before the giant weapons are driven into the earth is a keening cry. Unpreparedly, the group falls with the force of the impact. Sprawled on the ground, the creature hunching over him, Knuckles does not know what to do. He’s faced worse, confronted gods and monsters. And yet, all of that means _nothing_ in this moment. 

Removing the emeralds was supposed to _fix this._

They’re _trapped._

Steam escaping from its three jaws, the monster draws its upper two hands back. The two chaos spears remain embedded deep in the soil, blocking off their escape route. Slowly, the calamity reaches towards the group with talon-tipped fingers, its fangs visible. Even in his weakened state, Knuckles places himself in front of Tails and the others, intending to protect them until his final breath. Omega and Blaze raise their arms to attack, the same tenacity and thought thrumming through them. As certain death looms over them, the monster eclipsing the sun, Tails whispers something before shutting his eyes.

_“I’m so, so sorry.”_

The calamity freezes.

* * *

Shadow’s eyes open to darkness. 

Blinking, he quickly realizes that his night vision isn’t working. The Ultimate Life Form groans as he pushes himself up, noting that he’s still glowing scarlet. _Well,_ Shadow thinks. _At least I know I’m not dead—_

He abruptly straightens.

_Sonic. Silver._

Wobbling onto his feet, he twists around frantically. It does not take him long to find the others. The red-colored hedgehog hurries over to the youngest of the group, shaking him awake. _“Silver! SILVER! Wake up!”_

The time traveler mumbles out a groan, rolling over and sitting up. _“Wha…?”_ he mutters. Silver blinks for a moment before startling back into awareness, patting himself over in a frantic check. 

_“Are you o—”_ Shadow begins, before suddenly freezing. Silver buries his face into red fur, his arms tightening around the alien hybrid. _“...Silver?”_ the older of the two manages to say, shocked by the gesture. But for some odd reason, he doesn’t push him away. At the sound of his name, Silver instantly pulls back, pink dusting his features.

 _“I didn’t mean to…! It just… I’m sorry!”_ He hastily apologizes.

Before Shadow can reply, a third voice groans. Silver and Shadow instant look to see Sonic staggering upright. _“Shadow? Silver?”_ He inquires, rubbing his head. “Where are we?”

“It would appear that we’re back where we started,” Shadow replies, getting to his feet. Silver stands up as well. He glances to the side, a frown forming on his face. “But the console and screen are missing.”

Sure enough, he’s right. The darkness that surrounds them is not unlike the first time they woke up fused. Shadow narrows his eyes, scanning for anything. But just like before, his enhanced vision is unable to distinguish anything.

“What happened?” Silver repeats, looking to the others for answers. 

Sonic taps his chin in thought. “We went back to the base. We got into Eggman’s machine and everything started to hurt. And then…” He pauses, an ear flopping over. _“Uh…”_

“You don’t remember?” Shadow asks.

“Nope. What about you, Silvs?” 

The time traveler shakes his head. 

Shadow’s mouth sets into a thin line. _“I see…”_ he notes, voice carefully neutral. He tries not to think about the other two dropping like flies as their shared body rapidly started to overload. The cold, tingling creeping of his limbs and mind going numb. And his final vulnerable moment, being held by… what? 

The Ultimate Life Form looks down at the ground. The presence was warm and calming, almost like a hug. Glowing, white—

“Hey, what’s that?” Sonic suddenly points, startling Shadow out of his thoughts. The others turn to see. 

In the midst of the darkness, a single sparkle of white floats in the black void. The trio stare in confusion as the light flickers. And then a second light emerges. A third. And a fourth. 

Without thinking, Shadow moves in front of the others. The multiplying lights begin to cluster together, energy spinning faster and faster—

The three hedgehogs brace themselves.

—And then, it _blossoms_ into existence.

One pair of eyes blinks, taking in the sight before them. At the same time, three pairs of eyes blink back. 

Realization comes to three minds.

Anything they had envisioned it to look like, whether it be some eldritch abomination or something more ethereal, had completely exploded right in their faces. 

The fourth entity stumbles forward, bending a bit to peer up at them, before straightening. It gives a tiny wave, a shy smile on its muzzle. _“H-Hi,”_ it greets, shuffling a bit. “My, um… My name’s _Paradox.”_

And suddenly, _everything_ makes sense. 

It wanted to know what was in the refrigerator. It was scared and shy. It liked flower crowns. It just wanted to _help._

“Um…” It fidgets with the two quills framing its face. “But you can call me ‘Dox’ for short. If you wanna.”

Like a child would. A young, inexperienced _child._

_Dear Chaos, a CHILD._

The white hedgehog—a hoglet, he’s a _hoglet_ —does a little half-bow before popping back up again. His blank, white eyes twinkle with both nervousness and excitement. His smile broadens a degree, the child working past his initial anxiousness. “It’s very nice to finally meet you all!”

Shadow swallows, his previous words repeating guiltily.

He can’t be any older than _Cream._

Pushing past his shocked stupor, Sonic is the first to speak. “Uh, hey there— _Wait.”_ The teenager scrutinizes the smaller being—he’s barely up to his _waist_ —leaning down a bit to his height; Paradox recoils. “You’re the cloud? That I talked to? Who gave me the chair?”

Paradox gives a quick nod. 

“Really?” Sonic tilts his head.

“Uh-huh! And I dunno what a beach is, but I’m sure they’re nice to walk on.”

The blue hedgehog pauses for a moment, the faintest hint of blush on his cheeks, before turning to the others. “Well, I’m convinced. LD’s cool.”

White eyes blink. _“‘L… D?”_ Paradox asks, tilting his head. 

“It’s a nickname. You’re Paradox but smaller. So, little Dox. LD. Whaddya think?”

The newly-christened LD grins excitedly. “I love it!”

 _“Wait, wait, wait,”_ Silver jumps in. “Hold on. This,“ he gestures at LD. _“This_ is what’s been hijacking our body and moving us around the mindscape? _Him?”_

LD shrinks back slightly, his ears flopping over. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to scare everyone! I just wanted to see. The world looks so _pretty_ from here.” Fiddling with his quills again, LD doesn’t notice the shocked expression that flashes on Shadow’s face. “But I’ve been trying not to do that since…” His voice peters off, mind far away.

Sonic and Silver share a look. 

The young hedgehog suddenly shakes himself. _“Anyway!”_ He grins. “How are you? You’re not hurt, are you?” Like flipping a switch, LD’s expression goes from joy to very real anxiety. _“Ohmigosh, I’m sorry, it’s my job to protect you and I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”_

Sonic steps towards the child, holding his hands up in a placating gesture. “Hey, hey, hey, it’s okay. You don’t have to protect—wait, what do you mean, _‘job’?_ ”

“Ever since you fused, I hafta make sure you don’t get hurt! That’s why I pushed you away!” LD’s muzzle scrunches up. “I don’t wanna be mad but you _kept_ touching the emeralds. Why didja keep doing that? It _hurt!”_

For the second time, the three older hedgehogs glance at each other guiltily. Sonic sighs. “Sorry about that, LD… _”_

The hoglet meets his gaze, his cheeks puffed out. He exhales, his expression softening. “It’s okay. You didn’t know. I know you didn’t mean to hurt us. You’re nice.”

None of the others know what to say after that. But LD is quick to change the subject. _“Anyway!_ I’m so excited to finally meet you! It wasn’t very fun to only see you from far away. Not being able to talk to you. Which reminds me!” 

The teens share a confused expression as LD steps forward. He stares straight at Silver, all excitement replaced with a bittersweet smile. The hoglet’s voice is quiet and thoughtful. “I’m sorry I grabbed you. That wasn’t very nice of me, and I’m sure it hurt a lot. And I’m sorry you were so upset and stressed about everything. I shoulda helped you.” 

Before Silver can respond, LD turns to Sonic with glassy eyes. “I’m sorry I didn’t protect you when you got shocked by that shield. I shoulda been faster and done something. You got hurt, and I’m supposed to protect you. I’m pretty bad at my job, I guess…”

Finally, LD looks at the last member of the trio. Shadow refuses to meet his gaze as the child’s face twitches strangely. “You… You had a good reason to not like me. Keeping you trapped here was really mean of me, and you really don’t like staying here. I’m really, really sorry.” Slowly, LD looks up. Even though his eyes lack pupils, Shadow knows that the child is staring at him. “And while I’m not sure how you can forgive me, even if it doesn’t mean much, I can still forgive _you.”_

The moment LD finishes speaking, Shadow swallows. His arms fold tighter. _He_ was the one who refused to give Paradox a chance. Who protested and complained about being fused the most. As if sensing his unease, LD lifts a hand towards the red-colored hedgehog. But he suddenly stops short. His fingers twitch, as if grasping for something, before curling in. Swallowing, he draws his arm back, his smile faltering.

Shadow feels his breath hitch. _“Paradox…”_ he says, finally looking at LD. It’s the first thing he’s spoken to the child.

A moment after he speaks, the ground beneath them abruptly quakes, sending all of them off-balance. LD, however, stays standing.

Sonic is the quickest to get back on his feet. _“What was THAT?!”_

The child’s shoulders sag, gazing solemnly at the bright glowing cracks now traveling across the void, somehow opening up to an even darker nothingness. Like a shattered piece of glass.

 _“Paradox?”_ Hearing his name, the hoglet flinches and swivels back toward the others. 

“I’m sorry. I kept this to myself… _I-I…_ ” LD sighs. “ _I have to say good-bye now.”_

_“What?”_

_“‘Good-bye’?”_

_“What are you talking about?”_

LD frowns. “The fusion is coming apart. Our… _Your_ friends are trying to fix this by taking away the extra energy but…” The child curls inward. “It’s too _late._ If something isn’t done soon, everything will disappear.” At the panicked expressions that flash on the older three hedgehogs’ faces, LD hastily tries to relieve the tension, raising his hands. _“D-Don’t worry!_ I figured out what to do! I’m part of that energy that fused you! So if I take most of the chaos, I can return it back to you, and you guys will unfuse! Everything will be okay! You'll be free and everyone will be safe!” 

A contemplative look passes over Shadow’s face. “What happens to _you_ when we unfuse?” he inquires quietly.

The child’s optimism falters. “I… only exist as long as this fusion does. That’s why… I’m going to go away now. It’s the _only_ way to stop this. It’s my fault that you three have been stuck here, so it’s _okay._ I’m not real. But you three are! You deserve to have your own lives back!”

Sonic gapes. “But you are _real!_ I can _see_ you! _We_ can see you! We’re talking, face to face! _You’re your own person!”_

The older three hedgehogs kneel down in front of LD as he glances away sharply. His white ears press flat.

“B-But… I’m _not_ a person. I’m not a _someone._ I shouldn’t even _exist._ You shouldn’t… _W-Why do you care about what happens to me?”_

The teens glance at each other, unsure of what to say. Shadow swallows again.

“We… We may not have explicitly known each other for long,” he begins, his tone firm yet kind. “But from what you’ve told us, you’ve been helping us from the beginning. Is that not enough to care?” Focused on LD, the red-colored hedgehog misses the odd look from Sonic and Silver.

The hoglet tilts his head to the side. “...But I’m _supposed_ to do this. It’s what I was _created_ to do. Sacrifice myself so that you have a chance to be happy. My job is to protect you; isn’t that what _heroes_ do? _What you guys do?”_

A heavy silence crashes down upon the group. Sonic and Silver glance away sharply. “That’s not… It’s _different_ for us.” Shadow finally says. 

_“How?”_

With a single word, Sonic, Shadow, and Silver freeze. LD stares intensely at them, his gaze piercing through them. Searching their souls. Finally, Silver draws in a breath.

“We can find another way. You _don’t_ have to do this.”

At the teenager’s words, LD bites his lip. Nobody speaks, the broken landscape waiting with bated breath. _“I...”_ he stutters, his gaze switching between the widening chasms and the three older hedgehogs. _“I…”_

A small, empathetic smile crosses Silver’s face. _“Please, Paradox.”_

 _“...I’m sorry,”_ the child eventually says. “But there’s no other way. I _want_ to do this. Besides… I already got my wish.” LD looks up at the trio, blank eyes too shiny for comfort. He smiles, like a little flower just before it wilts. “I got to finally say _hi.”_

Without warning, Sonic, Shadow, and Silver are abruptly forced back. A barrier suddenly appears, cutting them off from LD. Immediately, the three older hedgehogs bolt to their feet, pounding against the shield.

_“Paradox!”_

_“Stop!”_

_“Don’t do this!”_

Slowly, LD steps back from the wall. His small, grateful voice somehow breaks through the destruction around them. Bright fissures appear near Paradox’s feet, creating holes that lead to nowhere. There’s nothing below his feet and yet the child still stands, all of his attention locked on the others. “Thank you… so much. I owe _everything_ to you three. I’m so glad that I got to spend the little time I had with you. I’m so glad I got to have fun and try new things and meet people and go on adventures with you.”

_“PARADOX!”_

“I’m sorry, Sonn— _Sonic._ I didn’t mean to break your promise. But, I am so lucky that I had you three as…” The child hesitates, his lips trembling. He opens and closes his mouth, trying to get the words out. What if they don’t think the same…? 

The hoglet swallows.

...What does he have to lose _now?_

“A-As… as _my big brothers,”_ LD finally says, his smile wobbling. It’s the first time he’s said it aloud. 

Sonic sputters, taken completely aback. His eyes are like pinpoints, a frantic expression on his face. _“LD, listen to me! We can figure this out!_ ”

“There’s no time. And please… tell Tails I’m sorry. I wish I could have said good-bye.”

_“You can tell him yourself later! PLEASE!”_

_“I-I…_ I’m _so, so sorry._ Even after I disappear… I’ll never forget you… _I… I love you all so much.”_

Out of time, Sonic, Shadow, and Silver look at each, having the same thought. One final idea in a last-ditch effort against the inevitable. This is what started all of this, right? Maybe, _maybe,_ it’ll _work!_ LD gasps as the teens close their eyes.

**_“CHAOS—”_ **

But the three voices are abruptly _silenced._ The trio is thrown from the crumbling mindspace, heart-breaking desperation on their faces. Hands reaching towards what they cannot reach. Cannot save.

Paradox stares for a moment, gazing at where the others once stood, before lowering his hand back down. Hiccuping, he turns to face the darkness and quaking earth, the premonitions of the inevitable. With a sharp movement, the child spreads out his arms, feeling for the last threads of energy still keeping this broken world together. He pulls them to his center, curling around the corrupted chaos that threatens to destroy him from the inside out. As he stares into the shattering abyss, he sees images— _memories_ —of a life about to end. Laughter and hugs. Stargazing. Plane rides and ice cream and soft grass on your skin. Daffodils and roses and irises. And the first memory that he pulled to his chest and dared to call it _his._

**_“It’s nice to meet you, Paradox.”_ **

Dying isn’t so hard, he thinks. It’s kind of like falling asleep. 

_“Leaves from the vine… Falling so slow…_ ” The face of a large, concerned crocodile flashes in his mind, doing his best to help. A little too loud but ever so alive. 

_“L-Like fragile, t-tiny shells… Drifting in the foam-m..._ ” A rabbit who gave him a present, his _favorite_ present. His _only_ present. Numb fingers curl around nothing in his palms, wishing that he could feel the infinitely soft petals one last time. 

_“Little s-soldier boy… Come marching home…_ ” And finally, a bright-eyed fox who cared so much for someone he barely knew. Staying up late almost every night to try and fix his brother. It feels like someone is choking him, but he’s alone. Always _alone._

_“Brave soldier boy… C-Comes marching h-home…”_

_Don’t worry, Tails. He’s coming home. They ALL are._

Tears spill over dimming eyes. _“Sayonara,”_ the being whispers to the oncoming void. 

And it falls.

A world away, a monster collapses to its knees, forcing a group to run for safety. Three heads wail in agony, tears raining down in torrents. From the middle of its chest, white light begins to spread. Like vines, it snakes its way around the giant’s body. The calamity is completely helpless as the web completely engulfs it. Muffled yells and shouts are heard as the light and energy builds more and more and _more—!_

Like popping a balloon, red, yellow, and blue lights explode outward. A moment later, the remaining mass shines a bright white and collapses into nothingness.

* * *

Darkness. A pitch black abyss that surrounds him on all sides. The universe is silent, not a single sound to be heard. Quiet. 

But then, something breaks the silence. Pushing back against the heavy darkness, he strains upward. A sliver of light flickers into existence as he staggers back into awareness. Gingerly, blue eyes flutter open. Reality surges forth in a blinding flash.

The sun sinks lower in the summer sky, a watercolor painting of blue, pink, and gold. There’s a soft breeze twirling through the air, not a cloud to be seen.

For a split second, Tails stares. But then, in an instant, _everything_ crashes into him. He bolts upright, eyes as wide as saucers. 

The fusion is nowhere to be seen. Heart racing yet again, the fox rapidly scans his surroundings. Behind him, the others begin to stir. The entire group looks around frantically, searching for _anything._

Six pairs of eyes land on three figures sitting in the dirt. Black, gray, and… 

_Blue._

Without thinking, Tails starts running. Two sets of footsteps hurry behind him, heels thumping against the soil. As water pricks at his eyes, the fox pushes past the lump in his throat. The word tumbles out breathlessly. Nearby, Blaze and Amy call out two names as well. But just as Tails is about to throw his arms out for an embrace, something makes him stop short. 

The speedster’s normally vibrant eyes are staring hollowly at the ground. Blue ears are folded down, arms wrapped tight around bended knees. Breaking away from a moment, Tails realizes that the other two hedgehogs are curled into similar positions. All three of them sit completely still, quills and fur disheveled.

Tails swallows. _“...S-Sonic?”_ he asks trepidatiously. All of his joy at getting his brother back is overshadowed by the expression on Sonic’s face. He’s never seen him so… so…

So _lost._

“He’s gone.”

The sound of Sonic’s voice, weak and hoarse and almost too quiet to hear, is deafening. All the attention snaps to him. 

“What did you say?” Blaze says, puzzled. Next to her, Amy blinks as tears of joy still slide down her muzzle. 

Slowly, _too slowly,_ Sonic raises his head. “He’s _gone,”_ he repeats, louder this time.

Nobody knows how to reply to that. Silver’s eyes fill with water while Shadow tenses slightly. More footsteps are heard, the rest of the group joining them. 

“Who’s gone, Sonic?” Tails inquires delicately. His gentleness ultimately means nothing. 

Sonic rushes to his feet, the emptiness in his eyes now filled with fire. _“He’s GONE!”_ he shouts, before whirling to face Shadow. _“And it’s all YOUR fault!”_

The accused hedgehog immediately stands, his legs wobbling slightly. Silver follows, clear concern flooding his face. The rest of the group looks on in pure confusion.

“Guys, what’s—” Tails tries before Sonic abruptly cuts him off. The blue hedgehog stomps towards his doppelgänger, quills bristling. 

_“This is YOUR fault!_ If _you_ hadn’t been against the whole idea of us _trying…!”_ he presses. 

Shadow backs away. _“I—”_ he starts. 

_“SHUT UP!”_ Sonic interrupts, body shaking with fury. He stands directly in front of Shadow, his eyes cloudy. “You didn’t even _apologize_ to him! Maybe he would have thought he was _worth something!_ Maybe he would have thought that he was a person who _deserved to live!”_

In that moment, Tails finally recognizes the emotion on Shadow’s face. It’s not one he’s ever seen before on the hybrid… nor one that he ever expected to see. Omega lowers his optics while Rouge, still cradled in his arms, looks away.

Shadow’s ears flatten, flush with his skull. _“Sonic—”_

The impact of a fist slamming into Shadow’s chest echoes across the clearing. The older hedgehog doesn’t even flinch, simply standing there. Taking the blow.

 _“The kid is dead because of you!”_ Sonic screams, throwing another punch. _“He’s DEAD! This is YOUR fault, you’re the reason he’s gone, why he thought he didn’t even get a chance to LIVE! We could have found another way! Instead of just—! Just—!”_

Sonic pauses, forcing in a shaky breath. Tears stream down his face, angry facade finally broken. _“But now…! Now…!”_ his rage melts away like the wax on a candle, its flame fading out. _“He’ll NEVER get that chance.”_

With hiccuping sobs, the speedster crumbles to the ground at Shadow’s feet. The older hedgehog drops his head, eyes closed. 

_“I promised him…”_ Sonic chokes out, fire dimmed to a smoldering ember. _“I promised him everything would be okay.”_

A sharp chuckle causes Tails to look up. He glances to the side to see Silver with a weary, tear-stained face. Amy and Blaze come up on either side of the light gray hedgehog, wearing sorrowful expressions.

“Guess you were right, Amy,” the time traveler admits bitterly. “We really _didn’t_ know anything about him. _We really didn’t…”_

“What happened?” Blaze asks, resting a hand on Silver’s arm. The light gray hedgehog simply shakes his head. 

_“Paradox,”_ he reveals, the name uttered like a prayer. “He’s _gone._ Just like… _Just like we all wanted.”_

Silence descends like an avalanche, cold and heavy and suffocating. The only sounds are heart-breaking sobs, tangled with the whistle of the breeze. Dried leaves scrape across the empty clearing, plant life uprooted and demolished. It will take _decades_ for the forest to return to its previous state. It might never. 

Tails stares at the time traveler for a moment more before turning to the other two hedgehogs next to him. The rest of the group does the same. 

Sonic, Shadow, and Silver.

Apart.

Alone.

And only _three._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for waiting so patiently for this chapter. A massive special thanks to PidgeonsonSynthesizers for being a guest artist and editor on this chapter. Their tumblr is draconicdeitydesigns (https://draconicdeityarts.tumblr.com/).
> 
> Before you move on to chapter 10, check out _A LIttle Ghost Story _. It's a retelling of _A Problem of Paradoxical Proportions _from LD's perspective, right until here.____


	10. Daffodils

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello. Before you move on, it's worth reading _A Little Ghost Story _. This is a retelling of _A Problem of Paradoxical Proportions _from LD's perspective. With that, on to the final chapter.____

He doesn’t know how long they stand there. Watching. Listening. Red eyes stare blankly as Sonic wipes his face for the hundredth time. It stays dry this time, but that can hardly be called a good thing. The teenager has simply run out of tears to cry.

Slowly, he draws in a breath. It tastes like ash and smoke. He folds his arms around himself, a chill settling on his skin. Through the fog, he hears footsteps—weak and hesitant—straining towards him. 

_“Shadow?”_

A beat. 

“...Yes?”

“What… What do we do _now?”_ Silver whispers, voice soft and quiet. The word _hesitant_ passes through Shadow’s mind again. The time traveler sounds like a ch—

_Young eyes looking to him, wide and hopeful._

Shadow shoves the thought away. Instinctively, his arms wrap tighter. A dull ache flares in his chest. He opens his mouth to answer, looking straight at the younger hedgehog. But the words die on his lips.

There’s nothing he can say now. Nothing that can fill the emptiness.

One, two, three. 

_This is what he wanted… right? Then we shouldn’t… I shouldn’t be…_

_“Shadow.”_

Red irises—usually so certain—dart around, searching for something. An answer? The eyes—innocent and pure and _gone, gone, it’s your fault they’re_ —continue to stare at him.

He swallows. “Is everyone alright?”

 _“...What did you say?”_ A hoarse voice asks. And the camera pans down again. 

Sonic’s gaze bores into black and red fur. “You really just asked that, didn’t you?” he sneers.

Shadow sucks in another breath as his doppelgänger pushes himself upright on unsteady legs. “Why am I even surprised? You really _don’t_ care, do you? Don’t even _regret_ what you’ve done.”

_“Please, give me a moment to just ex—”_

A harsh laugh, devoid of any warmth, tumbles from Sonic’s lips. The others flinch, shocked by their hero’s behavior. Tails’s ears are pressed flat against his skull. Silver and Shadow say nothing.

_“Oh, so now YOU’RE the one asking for time? Funny how that works, huh? I distinctly recall YOU being hesitant to give HIM more time!”_

__

Upon seeing his brother’s quills bristle, Tails bolts to his feet. “Sonic, please, I know you’re upset but you need to _calm down,_ your body can’t take anymore after all of that chaos—”

Green eyes expand, as wide as saucers. _“Chaos!”_ Sonic exclaims. “What if—If we fused again, that should bring LD back, right? _Right?”_ Without warning, the blue hedgehog seizes Tails’s shoulders. _“Where are the Chaos Emeralds? We need all seven of them. They were here, right?!”_

 _“Sonic...”_ Tails begins to say, but his brother isn’t paying attention. The speedster has stepped away, his mind drowned in its own discord.

_“A-And we need to do Chaos Control. That’s what started this. We need to do that again. And it needs to be all three of us, or else it won’t work.”_

_“Sonic, they’re g—”_

_“But what about the corrupted chaos, how we do we do that ag—”_

_“SONIC!”_

Two arms squeeze tightly around Sonic’s chest, causing the words to catch. Tails buries his face into the speedster’s side, tears soaking blue fur. _“Sonic…”_ he utters again, much quieter this time. But the name feels just as important. Poignant. Like a secret that has been withheld for so long and is now finally being shared. _Sonic._ It feels like a hidden truth. 

The response is just as weighty.

_“...T-Tails?”_

A breath. Release. _“I… I missed you. So much. I almost thought… I thought I’d never… I-I’m so glad to see you again.”_

Another pause. Inhale. Exhale. And gradually, Tails feels arms squeezing back.

_“I’m glad to see you too, little bro.”_

As the two siblings stand there, holding each other—holding _onto_ each other—time stretches and shrinks in a strange sort of silence. Nobody speaks. Words would simply be noise. When the two brothers pull back—still holding, still clinging—there is water on both of their faces. The older of the two doesn’t bother wiping his face, letting water mingle down with a wan but warm smile. 

Sonic breaks the silence. “LD… _Paradox_ says sorry. For putting you through all that.”

Bewilderment spreads on Tails’s face. “He says _‘sorry’?”_

“Yeah. He… He just wanted to say hi.”

Tails swallows, a lump of lead in his throat. His blue irises flicker to the side. “I see…” he eventually says. There's a pause as gears turn. A deep breath is pulled into lungs. Twin namesakes twitching as another silence falls. “Sonic?”

“Yeah, little bro?”

Hesitation. Yellow and white fur swishes. Then a simple question falls from Tails’s mouth, but it carries an ocean of meaning. _“Can… Can we go home?”_

Sonic’s smile drops, his lips parting in a swift retort. But then his gaze lands on his little brother and the heart-breaking expression on his face. Green eyes quickly survey the rest of the group. The damage on Omega’s chassis. Rouge, Knuckles, and Blaze’s exhausted faces. The tear stains on Amy’s muzzle. 

_Silver._

_Shadow._

One, two, three.

Instead of ash and smoke, Sonic breathes in ice and stone. Concrete and glass and stone. Heavy. Cold. Empty. Lies. His chest aches.

_Three._

The answer feels like a knife twisting. Or maybe it’s the hammering of nails. The last nail pounded in.

_“...Okay.”_

His heart breaks in two at the group’s reaction. Cradling the jagged pieces of his heart, Sonic allows himself to follow Tails to the front of the group. To be guided away. Away from here. From the battlefield. Come home, hero, the battle is over, it is time to rest. 

But what about those who don’t get to come home, he asks. Who don’t even know what home is because nothing ever belonged to them? Who didn’t ask for _any_ of this? _What about him?_

His mind is deafeningly quiet. No other voices to tell him their opinions. It’s… strange. Foreign. The only thoughts in his head are his, and that fact seems _wrong._ Unusual. Glancing to the side, Sonic realizes that he could ask Shadow and Silver. But that seems wrong too. The others would hear. They’re not supposed to hear, we’re not supposed to think out loud. Yellow and orange blend across the sky above. The air almost appears to be illuminated by the bright colors, static making his fur stand on end. 

Yellow sky.

Sonic stops, his green eyes widening slightly. Nearby, Silver and Shadow do the same. 

The rest of the group blinks in confusion. 

“Is something wrong?” Blaze inquires, tail twitching nervously. Amy wears a similar look of concern. She looks around, searching for whatever caused the trio to pause. But she cannot see anything.

The air grows heavier. 

Confusion fills Knuckles’s face. “What’s going on?”

There’s a beep, like a timer going off. And then, Omega’s robotic cadence breaks the silence. “WARNING: THE EXPLOSION LEFT THE AREA EXPOSED TO HIGH AMOUNTS OF CHAOS ENERGY. WE MUST RETREAT BEFORE THE ENERGY ACCUMULATION REACHES A DANGEROUS LEVEL.”

Immediately, a multitude of questions are launched at the robot, many voices speaking at once. But Omega’s reply only further clouds the situation.

"I AM DETECTING AN UNKNOWN ENERGY SIGNATURE."

Tails blinks. _“What?”_

 _“Look!”_ Silver suddenly points skyward, seizing everyone’s attention. Several pairs of eyes snap up. _"Up there!”_

Against a backdrop of vivid red-orange, a ball of violet stains the sky. Sparks of electricity arc from its surface as it pulses. A harsh wind begins to churn, originating from the sphere.

A memory flashes in yellow, red, and green. Eyes wide open. And three hearts begin to race all over again.

Amy gasps. _“Is that chaos energy? Why does it look like that?”_

 _“It’s CORRUPTED chaos!”_ Tails answers, fur tossed about in the wind.

As if on cue, the orb swells yet again, accompanied by more sparks and gusts of winds. The sphere of chaos has tripled in size, its bolts of electricity becoming larger and larger. However, at the same time, the orb seems more unstable. It pulsates erratically. Unpredictably.

Three sets of eyes widen. _“LOOK OUT!”_ Sonic shouts, throwing himself in front of Tails and Knuckles. A split second later, the sphere shrinks before abruptly exploding. Like an overloaded machine, the orb dies in a violent burst of electricity. Sonic lets out a scream as one of the bolts strikes him in the chest, sending him crashing to the ground. 

_“SONIC!”_ Tails shrieks, hurrying over to his downed brother. _“Are you okay?!”_ the fox asks, helping the teenager back up.

Sonic lets out a groan, hands rubbing his chest. _“I-I’m okay!”_ He draws in a breath, steadying himself. _“I’m fine.”_ Getting back on his feet, the speedster checks over the rest of the group. “Everyone okay?”

Silver gives a shaky inhale, his arms quivering. The small barrier of cyan surrounding him, Blaze, and Amy fizzles out. “We’re fine.” 

_“Silver,”_ Blaze starts, anxiety oozing from her tone. 

“I’m _fine._ Just _tired.”_

Two sets of yellow eyes meet. “Unfusing must have taken a lot out of you three.”

“Yeah…” 

A silence descends on the group. Silver looks away. His gaze falls on black and red fur. Shadow is standing in front of Rouge and Omega, quills tensed and his focus still locked on the sky.

“Shadow? What are you doing?”

_“Look.”_

For the second time, the group of nine twists their necks upward. And pupils shrink all over again.

There’s another orb floating in the sky.

A chilling sense of _déjà vu_ instantly grips the crowd. _Most_ of the crowd. As the others brace themselves for another blast of chaos, Shadow steps forward. There’s a strange expression on his face as he walks closer, the lure in the sky glowing white. Rouge calls out to him, warning him against the danger, but the ebony hedgehog continues on. 

_“Shadow?”_ Silver repeats, reaching after the alien hybrid. By this time, Shadow has made his way to the front of the pack, brushing past Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles. Almost obediently, Sonic follows after Shadow and Silver. The two other hedgehogs have stopped, gazes fixed upward. Above them, the sphere hovers like a lantern.

He doesn’t know why he’s doing this. Doesn’t know what compelled him to walk closer. But as Shadow stands there, looking towards the light, it feels like the whole world is watching him. As if he is a magician and this is his greatest trick. Everything fades into the background, all of his attention fixed on this light. Everyone is counting on you, the memory whispers. _Take care of them._ Urge compelling him yet again, the ebony hedgehog holds his hands out. Seconds later, Silver and Sonic do the same thing. The aches in their chests throb, messy and overlapping rhythms. 

One second later, the white orb in the sky abruptly _plummets._

Shadow’s eyes widen as he hurries to catch the ball of light, nearly tripping as he scrambles towards it. As he uncurls around the object, he blinks in shock. It’s _solid._ Not biting and clawing at his own energy like corrupted chaos should. Like it’s _supposed_ to. Instead, the sphere is cold. Unmoving. 

The pain in three hearts flares again. Throbs together. Yearns together.

There's a brief feeling of warmth. Weightless. Then... _release._

Sonic, Shadow, and Silver gasp as _something_ is pulled from them, the latter two clasping their hands over their chests. Light—red, blue, and yellow—flashes, blinding the trio. Shadow is the first to recover from the flash, the hybrid blinking repeatedly to refocus his vision. The sphere in his arms gives off a steady heat, practically alive in his grasp. 

Red eyes blink again.

_A s-steady..._

Silver and Sonic rub their eyes before peering down at the object. Bewilderment covers their faces. “What is it?” the latter of the two inquires, blue ears slicked back. He leans closer, scrutinizing the item. It shimmers, as if it is a star plucked from the heavens. 

“It looks—” Silver goes to answer. But he doesn’t get to finish.

The orb unexpectedly _moves._

At once, Sonic and Silver startle back in surprise. But Shadow remains silent, red irises still staring. The small sphere shakes again, a larger movement this time. Like lifting a veil, the white light begins to fade from its surface. 

Time suddenly stops. Three sets of eyes blink, as if reality itself is glitching in front of them. They can’t speak. Can’t breathe. Everything feels hazy. This isn’t true. Because it _can’t_ be.

Slowly, eyelids flutter open to reveal shimmering irises. Like the petals of a flower in the morning light. The glow from the setting sun reflects off gold rings.

The name spills from Shadow’s lips like falling leaves. _“...P-Paradox?”_

Marigold eyes blink slowly—one and then the other. _“...Who?”_ a little voice whispers.

Silence. The three older hedgehogs stare at the hoglet, pupils almost unseen in a sea of white.

 _“Paradox?”_ Shadow tries again. “Don’t you… That’s your _name. Paradox._ Don’t you _remember?”_

The child shifts in Shadow’s arms. His bare hands fiddle with his side quills, the light blue spines fading to white at their tips. He shrinks back a bit, a confused expression on his face, before shaking his head.

Vines tighten around Sonic’s heart. “ _H-Hey, that’s okay!”_ he starts, plastering a smile to his face. Everything will be okay. “You remember _us,_ right? _Right?”_

Paradox shakes his head again. And something _cracks._

Water pricks at green eyes. _“C-C’mon. It’s us. It’s US, Paradox! Paradox!”_

Silver places a hand on Sonic’s shoulders, trying to pull him back. There’s a haziness to his eyes as well. “He doesn’t remember.”

The blue speedster shoves Silver’s hand aside. _“No!”_ he shouts. “You—We were _fused_ together! And you were there but you couldn’t talk to us until the end! You said you always wanted to say hi to us! _Remember?”_

Paradox’s ears press flat against his skull. He curls in, still silent. As if he’s _afraid._

 _“Sonic…”_ Shadow utters quietly.

The teenager in question sucks in a shaky breath. _“Okay, okay! What about this?_ Your favorite color is _green!_ You don’t know what a beach is but you think they’d be nice to walk on! And one of your favorite things is that blue flower crown that Cream gave you!”

_“He doesn’t re—”_

Sonic hastily grabs Paradox, his hand easily eclipsing the child’s much smaller one. _“Please, Paradox! You HAVE to—You can’t have—You can’t—! LD!”_ He cries, warmth spilling down his face.

Paradox watches, blinking slowly. _“L… D…?”_ he pronounces, tilting his head.

A heart-breakingly fragile ember of hope flickers on Sonic’s face. “It’s your _nickname._ Little Paradox. Little Dox. _LD.”_

 _“L… D.”_ Paradox repeats, a bit more certain.

A breathless chuckle falls from Sonic’s lips. _“Yes,”_ he declares, squeezing Paradox’s hand tight. Don’t let go. _“Remember?”_

Paradox swallows, staring at Sonic. His gaze drifts to Silver and then Shadow, his focus landing on their eyes. Yellow and red. 

Marigold eyes widen the tiniest degree. Yellow, red, and… 

_Blue._

In a single moment, memories come crashing into him. Irises and roses. Shattered glass and fragments of white. Finally meeting them. The void of darkness swallowing him whole. There are still gaps in his memory—empty spaces and voids—but it’s enough. It’s _enough._

Something wet spills down his face. But he pays it no mind. His eyes gaze at blue, black, and white. _"T-Th…”_ he stammers, tongue tangling the sound. _“Thady? Thonny? Thivy?"_

A sudden pause. Small, bare hands pat a tan-colored muzzle. _"Oh, no. I don't thound too good."_ Paradox comments, touching his face with his free hand. His other hand is… 

The child’s breath hitches. His eyes snap down to his arms, fingers pulling at blue fur.

 _"Ith thith…”_ he stutters, tripping over the words. _“Is thith real?"_

Sonic nods, fresh tears falling. _"Y-Yeah,”_ he breathes. There’s a smile on his muzzle. _“H-Hi, LD."_

For one, endless moment, the child stares at the three hedgehogs. Then suddenly, his free hand seizes Shadow’s muzzle. _“You’re real!”_ he exclaims, squeezing the ebony hedgehog’s cheeks. Marigold eyes flick towards Silver. _“And you have ears!”_ The hoglet’s attention returns to Sonic. _“Why didn’t you tell me my copies were wrong?”_

 _“Heh,_ sorry about that, baby bro,” Sonic apologizes, drawing his hand back. He sniffles, wiping his face. 

The hoglet bites his lips. Tiny blue ears fold down, nose twitching. 

One, two, three… 

_Four._

Choking back a sob, the hoglet throws his arms around Shadow. He grabs fitfully at the older hedgehog’s chest fur, clinging to him. Clinging to _them._ To _this._ If this is a dream, some final gift before he disappears forever, he doesn’t ever want to let go. _Please._

Three hands gently rest on his head, rubbing white and blue quills. _Shhh… It’s alright,_ they say. _We’re here. We won’t let you go. Never again._

LD lets the rain finally fall.

* * *

Warmth. A comforting heat that surrounds him on all sides, soft and light and wonderful. Gradually, the warmth evolves into a fluffy blanket that draws a purr from his lips. Instinctively, he nuzzles into the gray fabric, pulling it close. Warmth. This warmth is nice and good. He wants, _needs,_ to hold on to the warmth. 

A beam of sunlight tickles his face, making him scrunch up his muzzle in annoyance. Like petals unfurling, he stretches out his limbs. He yawns, a squeaky sort of noise. Slowly, marigold irises ease into focus. And within seconds, the haze of sleepiness is cleared. He blinks, a blue ear quirking to the side.

Where there should be three sleeping bags, there is nothing but empty space. _Empty._ Where are the sleeping bags? Where did they go? His chest feels tight and heavy, like his lungs don’t really know how to work. Which is sort of true because he didn’t actually have a body before now. Everything’s new. This whole thing is _new._

Like the missing sleeping bags. 

His throat feels dry. He forces a breath, attempting to calm his quickening heartbeat. In an instant, he throws the blanket aside, feeling trapped. Scrambling off the couch, he starts into the kitchen. Maybe they’re just—

A gasp tumbles from his lips as he crashes into something. That’s weird, he didn’t see anything blue in front of him. Wait a second…

Pressure building behind his eyes, he looks up. Immediately, he wraps his arms around two blue legs, pressing his face into them. _“Sonny!”_ he breathes out. But his lisp distorts the nickname again and it ends up sounding like ‘Thonny’. _“Where’d you go? I was worried!”_

‘Sonny’ blinks, visibly puzzled. “ _‘Worried’?_ LD, you don’t need to worry about me.”

The hoglet squeezes tighter. _“I thought you left me!”_

 _“What?!_ No, we would never!”

“Then why,” LD pauses, wiping his face. “Why are the sleeping bags gone? Where’s Shady and Silvy?”

Sighing softly, Sonic reaches down. He rubs the child’s head, causing the hoglet to release his hold on the speedster’s legs. “Come with me, LD,” the older hedgehog instructs, giving a sincere smile. For a moment, LD hesitates, biting his lip. But then his eyes focus on Sonic’s outstretched hand, and he draws in a breath. Taking his big brother’s hand, he follows him out of the living room. Sonic has to remind himself to walk slowly, one of his steps equaling three of LD's tiny and still clumsy ones. When they get to the base of the stairs, Sonic peeks down at LD. The child’s ears are slicked back slightly, his free hand curled into a fist. A knowing expression forms on Sonic’s face. “Do you want me to carry you?” 

Cotton candy pink blooms across LD’s muzzle, his eyes momentarily glancing down. “Um…” he fumbles.

Sonic shakes his head. Without giving him a chance to respond, the teenager scoops the child up. LD gives a small, surprised gasp, his blush deepening a shade. With the hoglet held safely against his chest—he weighs almost _nothing_ and he's less than half his height—Sonic continues up the stairs. Eventually, he comes to a stop and sets LD down on the floor. Grin broadening, the speedster opens the door. 

“Go on,” he encourages, glancing down.

With small steps, the child enters the room. His cloth-clad feet—two borrowed, oversized socks covering them—are soundless on the carpet. Immediately, his attention lands on three figures, surveying a piece of furniture in the corner of the bedroom. 

A very _large_ piece of furniture. With four parts. 

Sensing LD’s confusion, Silver walks up next to the child. “Cool, huh? Took us a while to set it up. We’ve been working since this morning.” The time traveler casts a glance to his right. “It was Tails who really organized this. The rest of us just helped out.”

Pale pink spreads across the kit’s face at the compliment. “It was nothing really.” The fox glances down, blue irises making contact with marigold ones. His ears flick back a bit. _“Um…”_ he looks away. “I’m gonna go put my tools away. Excuse me.” 

Sonic’s mouth sets into a thin line. “Tails…”

“It’s _okay,”_ a high-pitched voice interjects. At once, all focus moves down. Blue and marigold lock again. LD smiles, like a little daffodil. It’s _okay._

Slowly, gradually, a tiny smile appears on Tails’s snout. He exits out of the bedroom, carrying his toolbox with him.

LD turns back around to face the newly assembled furniture. He blinks, expression switching to confusion. 

“They’re bunk beds. For _four_ people.” Silver answers, already knowing the question. 

“But why?”

“Because sleeping bags get annoying after a while,” Sonic declares, joining up with the others. “And we figure it’s about time we each got our own beds. It’s not the same as having your own room, but this means we can still keep an eye on you if something happens. And it’s not like I was really _using_ this room, anyway. Bit of a drifter, y’know.”

LD swallows, still staring straight ahead. “But _why?”_ he repeats.

“You haven’t had any issues with your body for several days now,” Shadow states, arms folded. Marigold irises snap up to look at him. For a moment, the hybrid’s gaze flicks to the child’s wrists, where two gold rings much like his own sit. He continues. “And your memories have come back.” _Most of them._ “There’s no need for such close observation anymore.”

 _“Oh…”_ LD whispers, fiddling with his side quills. His little ears flop down. 

Red eyes soften an imperceptible degree. “But,” he quickly adds, “We still need to remain close, and having a room set up is much more practical.”

“And we’re—er, _I’m_ —not really in a rush to return to my time just yet,” Silver jumps in. “Who knows if us getting fused had an effect on the timeline? It might be better if I stay and make sure nothing’s changed too much. Plus,” the time traveler smiles, "I need to help you get used to your powers."

 _“That does not mean we’re moving in,”_ Shadow concludes, glancing at LD’s barely restrained excitement. “This is just a _temporary_ arrangement.”

 _“Oh, yes, mm-hm,”_ LD nods, trying his best to compose himself. Keyword: _trying._ Shadow narrows his eyes as LD beams even brighter, the gap in the hoglet's top row of teeth visible. Sonic grins. 

“Well… Go ahead. Pick which one you want. You get first dibs.”

LD spins around, his mouth formed into a circle. There are _stars_ practically twinkling in his eyes, his little tail beginning to wag. _“Really?”_

 _“Really._ Go for it, little dude!” 

With a giddy chirp, LD scurries towards the bunk beds. He clambers onto one of the bottom ones, bouncing on the mattress. He spreads his bare fingers across the light green sheets before grabbing one of the pillows. It’s almost as big as he is. “This one! Can I have this one?” He asks Sonic, sliding back down to the floor. 

__

A gloved hand scratches a chin in mock-thought. “I dunno… I was thinking about picking that one myself…”

Marigold eyes go big and round. _“Please, Sonny?”_

“Heh, of course you can have that one. I’m just playing with you.” 

_“Yay!”_ the hoglet cheers, scurrying back onto the bunk. _“Thank you, thank you, thank you!”_

Sonic chuckles, a warm and happy timbre. He strolls over to the bed and sits down next to LD. “You’re welcome,” the teenager responds, ruffling the child’s quills. The smaller blue hedgehog giggles. Meanwhile, Silver takes a seat on the other side of LD, a friendly smile on his face. Shadow hovers by the edge of the bed, leaning on the ladder. 

“Do you like it?” Sonic inquires, draping an arm around the hoglet. LD gazes around the room, taking in the new configuration. Everything has been moved aside to fit the bunk beds. It feels odd. Like he’s intruding on something that isn’t his. And yet…

And yet, being here feels so _right._ Like… this is where he’s meant to be.

LD curls against his older brother, pressing his head into blue fur. It’s a gesture he’s done before. But this time, _this time,_ the three others notice him. _See_ him. _Hear_ him. There’s pressure building behind his eyes again, but his chest feels like it’s filled with light and warmth. And while there’s still one member missing from the room, there’s a tiny sprout of hope that could blossom into something much greater.

Marigold eyes scan over blue, white, and black fur. And LD’s answer comes flowing out of him like a petal on the stream.

_“I love it.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with that, we come to a close on _A Problem of Paradoxical Proportions _. Thank you all for coming on this crazy, chaotic, and always emotional ride. A special thanks to our guest artists, Pidgeon and Zoom Boy. And of course, none of this would have been possible without Tharkflark1, SmallPwbbles, movie-robotnik-positivity, and the Pocket Hog Discord. You guys are amazing. The illustrations in this chapter are courtesy of SmallPwbbles and Tharkflark1.__
> 
> _for those who guessed found family, have a virtual scone!_
> 
> And so the curtain closes.
> 
> But maybe, another will open?


End file.
